A New AI Header: The IETF Is Building a Standard to Label AI-Generated Content

According to the IETF, a new draft proposal aims to add declarations within web response headers to indicate whether material has been created by artificial intelligence. The header, compatible with HTTP structured field syntax, provides metadata for user agents, bots and archiving systems so they can decide whether to adopt or disregard AI-generated content.

The proposed AI-Disclosure header can declare the generation mode, model name, provider, review team, timestamp and other identifying details, helping automated systems assess the source quickly. The header is entirely voluntary: websites may choose to set it or omit it, and its absence does not guarantee human authorship. The draft currently expires on 1 November 2025, with standardisation expected if subsequent industry discussions proceed without objection.