Format does not use member content for AI training and blocks training crawlers by default through Cloudflare and site settings, without harming SEO. Meta’s new business terms may permit content scraping, but Format’s protection applies to Format-hosted content, not Meta platforms.
Does Format use my work to train AI?
No. Format is fully committed to protecting our members' data, including your uploaded images, videos, and other site content. We do not share or sell any member data for use in any AI training models. Your body of work stays yours.
What types of AI crawlers exist, and what do they do?
AI crawlers are automated programs that visit websites. They do not all affect your work in the same way. We group them into three types:
- Search indexing: These crawlers read your site so it can appear in search results, including Google's AI search summaries. They do not use your images, text, or other content to train generative AI models. We allow this type so people can find your site through search engines.
- Fetching on request: These crawlers fetch a page when someone asks an AI tool, such as ChatGPT, to summarize or look up information on a website. They do not use your content to train generative AI models. We allow this type on format.com and on member sites.
- Training: These crawlers download text, images, and other content to train generative AI models. We do not allow this type on your site in any capacity.
Blocking every bot that mentions AI would also remove your site from search results. That would make it harder for art directors, galleries, and clients to find you. The goal is to stop training, not discovery.
How does Format block AI training crawlers?
By default, Format blocks generative AI training crawlers from your site using two layers. You do not need to install anything or edit any code to enable this.
- Network block: Our content delivery network, Cloudflare, blocks identified training crawlers before they reach your images and content.
- Site setting: The Block AI Training Crawlers setting is on by default. It adds rules to your site's robots.txt file that block known AI crawlers, such as GPTBot and ClaudeBot, and adds noai meta tags to your pages.
A robots.txt file is a request. Well behaved bots choose to follow it, and others may not. A network block works differently. It refuses identified training crawlers whether or not they would have listened. Cloudflare keeps a public reference list of the AI crawlers it identifies, and Meta's training crawler, Meta-ExternalAgent, is on that list.
How do I check or change the Block AI Training Crawlers setting?
To check whether AI training crawlers are blocked on your Format site, open the Block AI Training Crawlers setting:
- Go to Settings in your Format dashboard.
- Open SEO.
- Find Block AI Training Crawlers. The toggle is On by default.
If you turn this setting off, your site's robots.txt file and pages no longer ask AI crawlers to stay away. Turn it off only if you choose to let AI systems index and reference your content. This setting does not affect regular search engines like Google or Bing, so your site still appears in search results.
Will blocking AI training crawlers hurt my SEO?
No. Format blocks training crawlers only. Search indexing crawlers can still reach your site, so your portfolio stays discoverable in search results, including Google's AI search summaries.
What is changing with Meta's business terms, and does it affect my Format site?
Meta has updated its commercial terms for business accounts on Facebook, Instagram, and WhatsApp. Starting November 20, 2026, business accounts agree that Meta, or anyone acting on its behalf, can use automated tools such as scrapers and bots to collect content from websites associated with the account. Meta can use that content to train its products, including its AI. Nieman Lab reported on the updated terms.
Two details matter most for photographers and other creatives:
- Meta's definition of a business customer is broad. It includes running ads, selling or listing products, managing a Page, or using business tools like Meta Business Suite. Many creatives with professional accounts fall into this group.
- The update does not offer an opt out. Businesses that do not agree are told to stop using Meta's products for business purposes.
Meta has told reporters that site owners can still control access through robots.txt. Legal experts point out that the terms themselves do not promise to respect it.
On your Format site, we block generative AI training crawlers on every site by default, including Meta-ExternalAgent. Our block happens at the network level, so it does not depend on a crawler choosing to follow robots.txt.
Please Note: The terms you accept with Meta are separate from the protections on your Format site. Our block does not change what you agree to with Meta. If you have questions about Meta's terms, please review them with Meta directly.
Can Meta use my photos for AI? Where my work is stored matters
Who controls your work, and what protects it, depends on where it lives:
- Posted on Instagram or Facebook: Meta's platform terms apply. Protection comes from Meta's own settings and regional data laws, if they apply to you.
- On your Format site: You control it. Protection comes from our default training crawler block, plus password protection for private work.
- On your Format site and linked from a Meta business account: Your Format site is still protected by our block, and Meta's commercial terms apply on top. You decide whether to keep the business account.
Images you upload to Instagram or Facebook are stored on Meta's servers. Format's protection applies to content on your Format site only.
What can an AI crawler block not do?
A training crawler block is strong protection, but it has limits:
- It does not change what you agree to with Meta. If you keep a Meta business account, the contract you accept is separate from the technical block on your site.
- It does not cover what you post on Meta's own platforms.
- It cannot stop a scraper that pretends to be a person. We cannot reliably tell a visitor viewing your site from a visitor downloading images for AI training. This is also true of any other public crawler, including search engines and Pinterest. Someone saving screenshots cannot be stopped either.
- It cannot undo past scraping. Work collected before protections existed may already be in older datasets.
How else can I protect my work from AI?
No single tool solves everything. You can combine several that fit how you work:
- Keep your full resolution, finished work on your Format site, where training crawlers are blocked by default. Use social media for previews, crops, and behind the scenes images.
- Set unreleased series and client work to Private with a password. This is the most effective way to keep images from being scraped, because private pages are not public. Private pages are also hidden from search engines, so use this for work you do not want found online.
- Cloak images you post to social media. Tools from the University of Chicago's Glaze Project make small pixel changes that are hard to see but disrupt how AI models read your style.
- Put AI terms in writing. Add a no AI training clause to client contracts and licensing agreements. Our guide to AI and copyright for artists explains where the law currently stands.
- Know your baseline rights. Copyright protection begins the moment you create the work. Our photography copyright law guide covers registration, notices, and watermarking.
- Review your Meta business setup. Check which websites are linked to your business account, and decide whether the professional features are worth the new terms.
Should I also block AI search crawlers?
Probably not, unless keeping your work private matters more to you than being found. More clients now find creatives through Google's AI search summaries and AI assistants. Those answers rely on search indexing crawlers, which do not train models on your images. Blocking them can make you harder to discover without adding much protection.
If being found in AI search is part of your strategy, read our guide to AI search optimization for photographers. It covers how to show up in AI answers while your training crawler protection stays on.
Where can I learn more about AI and copyright?
These guides from the Format Magazine cover the topics in this article in more depth:
- A guide to AI and copyright for artists: Where the law currently stands on AI and artists' work.
- Photography copyright law guide: Copyright basics, including registration, notices, and watermarking.
- AI search optimization for photographers: How to be found in AI search while your training crawler protection stays on.
Still have questions? Format provides human support seven days a week. Start a live chat or reach us by email at info@format.com. We're here to help!