A fresh regulatory push in the UK could reshape how artificial intelligence uses online content, as authorities look to curb Google’s dominance in search and protect publishers.
Britain’s competition watchdog has proposed allowing websites to opt out of having their content used in Google’s “AI Overviews” feature. The move comes as part of tighter oversight of large technology firms under new digital competition rules.
The Competition and Markets Authority said the proposal follows its decision last year to grant Google “strategic market status” after a 9-month investigation. This designation places the search giant under special regulatory obligations.
CMA chief executive Sarah Cardell said the proposal, open for consultation until February 25, “would give UK businesses and consumers more choice and control over how they interact with Google’s search services”. She added that it “would also provide a fairer deal for content publishers, particularly news organisations, over how their content is used in Google’s AI Overviews”.
Under the plan, publishers would “be able to opt out of their content being used to power AI features such as AI Overviews or to train AI models outside of Google search”. The regulator also said Google would be required to take practical steps to ensure publisher content is clearly attributed in AI-generated results.
Media publishers have raised concerns that AI tools reuse their content without payment. They argue that AI-generated summaries reduce clicks to original articles, cutting website traffic and advertising revenue.
“Google is able to extract valuable data without reward, harming publishers and giving the company an unfair advantage over competitors in the AI model market,” said Owen Meredith, chief executive of an industry group representing news publishers.
The regulator estimates Google handles more than 90% of online searches in the UK and that over 200,000 UK businesses rely on Google search advertising to reach customers.
Responding to the proposal, Google said it is already exploring updates “to let sites specifically opt out of search generative AI features”. “Any new controls need to avoid breaking search in a way that leads to a fragmented or confusing experience for people,” said Ron Eden, the company’s principal for product management.
Other proposals include a choice screen to help users change default search engines and rules to ensure fair ranking of search results. “These measures will give publishers… stronger bargaining power,” said Will Hayter, executive director for digital markets at the CMA.
The UK approach mirrors the European Union’s Digital Markets Act. Google employs more than 7,000 people in the UK.
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