Google may let websites opt out of AI Overviews after UK pressure

Google is exploring new options to allow websites and publishers to opt out of having their content used in AI Overviews. The move comes after the UK government urged the company to provide more control to content creators, citing growing concerns about fair usage and declining traffic to news sites.

UK regulators demand more control for publishers

According to a Reuters report, the UK’s Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) has opened a formal consultation on how Google manages content across its AI-powered features. The regulator wants the company to let websites opt out of having their material scraped for AI-generated summaries or used to train separate AI models like Gemini.

In a blog post published on Thursday, Google confirmed that it is working on updates that would enable websites to exclude their content from Search generative AI features. The company said it aims to protect the usefulness of Search while also giving publishers the tools to manage how their content appears across AI products.

Google introduced AI Overviews in mid-2024. The feature uses generative AI to provide quick answers at the top of search results. However, publishers have not had any mechanism to opt out of these summaries, which has led to significant drops in click-through traffic.

The CMA stated that Google holds more than 90% of the UK’s search market. It warned that this dominance could distort competition and harm news organizations that rely on visibility in search.

Google said any new opt-out control must be scalable and not create a fragmented or confusing experience for users. The company also pointed to existing tools like robots.txt and Google-Extended, but acknowledged that further updates are needed.

The CMA will spend the next year reviewing the consultation. Google said it hopes to work with publishers and regulators to find a solution that benefits both users and content creators.

In related news, you can also read our recent article exploring whether smartphones have truly reached peak innovation or if progress is now happening behind the scenes.

For more daily updates, please visit our News Section.

Stay ahead in tech! Join our Telegram community and sign up for our daily newsletter of top stories! 💡