Google must let publishers opt out of AI Search features, rules UK
The UK CMA says Google must let publishers opt out of AI Search features like AI Overviews.
The UK Competition and Markets Authority has imposed a conduct rule requiring Google to give website owners more control over AI Search features. Publishers must be able to keep their content out of products such as AI Overviews and prevent related use. The ruling matters for media companies, creators, and SEO teams worried about traffic loss and content use in generative search.
The UK's Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) has imposed new conduct rules on Google's search service, requiring Google to give online publishers and website owners greater control over whether their content appears in Google's AI Search features. The feature specifically named here includes AI Overviews, that is, the experience in which Google answers queries with generative-AI summaries at the top of the search results page. According to the report, the new rules require Google to provide a mechanism allowing websites to opt out of having their content included in such AI search features, and to avoid having their content used for related purposes.
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