Google’s Mueller Says llms.txt Can’t Help LLMs Differentiate Sites via @sejournal, @MattGSouthern

Google's John Mueller stated on March 13, 2024, that Large Language Models (LLMs) cannot effectively use a file named `llms.txt` to differentiate between websites for the purpose of discovery. Mueller, speaking in his capacity as a Search Advocate at Google, clarified that while LLMs might have a limited function once an agent is already on a specific website, the `llms.txt` file is not a viable tool for initial site differentiation in search engine contexts. This perspective was shared in a post on Search Engine Journal, highlighting a potential limitation in how AI agents might interact with and categorize web content. The core argument suggests that the current capabilities of LLMs, particularly concerning the interpretation of such a file, do not extend to the complex task of distinguishing the relevance or nature of different websites from a discovery standpoint. Mueller's comments underscore the ongoing challenges in AI's ability to navigate and understand the vastness of the internet for search and indexing purposes.