UK regulators require Google to let publishers opt out of AI-powered search features

Google will soon have to give U.K. publishers a way to opt out of having their content used in AI-powered search features such as AI Overviews, in what regulators are calling a “world first.” The change is being introduced under new requirements from the U.K. Competition and Markets Authority, which said the move will put publishers in a stronger position to negotiate with Google over the use of their material in AI products.

Under the new system, publishers will be able to use a toggle in Google Search Console to prevent their sites from appearing in generative AI search features, including AI Overviews, AI Mode and AI Overviews in Discover, according to TechCrunch. Google said the option will first be tested with a subset of U.K. publishers before being rolled out more broadly, and the company emphasized that opting out of AI features will not affect a site’s ranking in normal Google search results.

The CMA said the rule is meant to give publishers more control over how their content is used and to improve the balance of power in negotiations with Google. The regulator also said Google must make sure publisher content used in AI responses is properly attributed with clear links, a requirement aimed at increasing transparency and consumer trust, as reported by the BBC and TechCrunch.

The decision matters because AI-generated summaries have become a major part of how people find information online, but publishers have complained that those summaries can reduce traffic to their websites. Google has said its AI Overviews now reach more than 2.5 billion monthly active users, while AI Mode has surpassed one billion monthly users, underscoring how widely the feature is being used and why publishers see it as important to control.

The U.K. action follows a previous CMA finding that Google holds “strategic market status” in search and search advertising in the country, giving regulators power to impose conduct requirements. According to the CMA, this framework is designed to protect competition in digital markets and can be used to address future concerns as they arise.

Google also said it will add new metrics in Search Console to show publishers how often their pages appear in AI responses and in which countries, along with other impression data. The CMA said it will monitor Google’s compliance, and Google will be required to publish reports on how it is implementing the new rules.