Google and Microsoft's new WebMCP standard lets websites expose callable tools to AI agents through the browser — replacing costly scraping with structured function calls.

We keep an eye out for the most interesting stories about Labby subjects: digital media, startups, the web, journalism, strategy, and more. Here’s some of what we’ve seen lately.

GETHOOKD has published a new report examining the leading tools available for those interested in conducting advanced research on competitor ...

While the basic course is free and great for getting started, they also have a ‘Pro’ version if you want to dig deeper. It’s a solid choice if you’re totally new to programming and want a smooth, ...

SerpApi says it can deliver Google search results for use by AI tools, but Google claims it’s illegally evading bot-blockers to steal copyrighted content. SerpApi says it can deliver Google search ...

In a lawsuit, Reddit pulled back the curtain on an ecosystem of start-ups that scrape Google’s search results and resell the information to data-hungry A.I. companies. By Mike Isaac Reporting from San ...

Abstract: The National Socio-Economic Single Data (NSESDN) presents significant challenges for regional governments due to fragmented and unstructured data, which hampers effective policy and program ...

Media companies announced a new web protocol: RSL. RSL aims to put publishers back in the driver's seat. The RSL Collective will attempt to set pricing for content. AI companies are capturing as much ...

Web scraping powers pricing, SEO, security, AI, and research industries. AI scraping threatens site survival by bypassing traffic return. Companies fight back with licensing, paywalls, and crawler ...

When the web was established several decades ago, it was built on a number of principles. Among them was a key, overarching standard dubbed “netiquette”: Do unto others as you’d want done unto you. It ...

However, actions have a habit of inspiring reactions. Lawsuits are mounting as more media companies take on the AI giants over copyright, which may yet prove decisive—recent rulings notwithstanding.

Publishers are stepping up efforts to protect their websites from tech companies that hoover up content for new AI tools. The media companies have sued, forged licensing deals to be compensated for ...