The UK’s Competition and Markets Authority has proposed new measures allowing publishers to opt out of having their content used in Google’s AI Overviews without losing visibility in traditional search results.
Robert Booth reports for The Guardian that media organisations have experienced declining click-through traffic and revenue since Google began displaying AI-generated summaries at the top of search results. Many users read these summaries without visiting the original sources.
The CMA has launched a month-long consultation on what it calls “a fairer deal” for content publishers. The proposals would enable websites to refuse having their material scraped for AI features while remaining in conventional Google search. Currently, publishers face an impossible choice: accept AI scraping or disappear from Google entirely.
The measures represent the first actions under Britain’s new digital markets competition regime. The CMA also proposed requiring Google to rank search results fairly, without favouring commercial partners or penalising critics.
News organisations hope these changes will strengthen their negotiating position for payment when their content appears in AI summaries. However, the CMA announced it would delay further action on ensuring fair compensation for one year.
The News Media Association’s chief executive, Owen Meredith, welcomed the recognition that Google extracts valuable data without compensation, harming publishers and creating unfair advantages.
Google responded that new controls must avoid fragmenting search experiences, though the company stated it is developing opt-out mechanisms for AI Overviews. The tech giant will also likely face requirements to install choice screens allowing easier switching to alternative search services.
