Imagine a world where every website owner can control exactly how their content appears in artificial intelligence systems, all while getting paid for it.
Cloudflare is rolling out a private beta for what it calls the AI Index for domains. This fresh approach gives creators the power to make their websites more accessible to AI applications and, for the first time, lets them monetize when AI systems use their data.
Once enabled on a domain, the AI Index immediately carves out a special search index designed for today’s AI needs. Site owners own this index, with total authority over who can access it and how it’s used. If someone wants to crawl their site, they can require payment up front, thanks to the new pay-per-crawl system and x402 integrations.
For companies developing AI models or apps, Cloudflare now offers direct application programming interfaces and notification tools. Rather than sending internet-wide crawlers to rummage through everything, these builders can subscribe to specific sites, get automatic updates whenever something changes, and access content knowing each transaction is tracked and compensated.
A New Model for Digital Discovery
Content creators often struggle with making their latest articles or product pages visible to AI, while crawling brings unpredictable costs for developers. Cloudflare’s AI Index looks to break this cycle, promising what they call a fairer digital ecosystem. Site owners can include or exclude parts of their content, set precise permissions, and choose when to opt out altogether. As content changes, the index updates in real time, all without manual adjustments.
Integrated tools, like a special search application programming interface and automated files for large language models, make it seamless for platforms to discover and use web data. AI builders get metrics about content uniqueness and relevance before they commit, reducing wasted time and effort. According to Cloudflare, “You can choose to directly monetize access to your content. Access is always at the discretion of the site owner.”
For those building artificial intelligence, Cloudflare’s pub and sub system means they can subscribe to only the sites they care about. They receive updates as new blog posts or product pages come online, all without hammering the internet with repetitive crawls. Payments for access travel straight back to the creators, ensuring the people behind the content see direct benefit.
Cloudflare also intends to launch an Open Index, gathering together all opted-in sites for a broader search with filters for content quality, popularity, and depth. This makes it easier to search across entire themes, like news or research, in a single stroke — while sites continue to control participation and profits.
Enrolling in this experiment starts with the private beta. Both website owners and AI builders can sign up, shaping a future where creators are paid, builders get clean data, and the internet’s ecosystem becomes just a bit more equitable.
