Google has been ordered by the UK’s competition watchdog to give publishers more control over how their content is used in AI-powered search, in what regulators described as a world-first move under Britain’s digital markets regime.
The Competition and Markets Authority said the new conduct requirement applies to Google’s search services in the UK and is designed to secure fairer treatment for publishers, improve transparency for users and strengthen trust in AI-generated search results.
Publishers gain new AI opt-out tools
Under the requirement, publishers will be given effective tools to stop their content from being used to power AI features in Google Search, including AI Overviews.
The CMA said the measure will put publishers, including news organizations, in a stronger position when negotiating content deals with Google. The regulator also said Google must ensure publisher content is properly attributed in AI-generated search results, with clear links directing users back to the original sources.
Following consultation feedback, Google will also be required to let publishers opt out of having their content used for the fine-tuning of AI models. The CMA said this would give publishers greater control over the wider AI use of their material, beyond how it appears directly in search products.
Watchdog keeps focus on Google’s AI search shift
The move follows the CMA’s decision to give Google “strategic market status” in general search, a designation that gives the watchdog power to set targeted rules for the company’s search business when needed to protect competition, choice and transparency.
The regulator said the requirement will apply to changes Google announced in May to further embed AI into its search platform, a shift the CMA said could significantly alter how search results are presented to UK users.
Sarah Cardell, chief executive of the CMA, said AI Overviews and similar features are rapidly reshaping online search, making it important that publishers have appropriate bargaining power over how their content is used.
She said the requirements were designed to respond not only to Google’s current search changes, but also to future developments, adding that the regulator would continue monitoring the market and announce further action on Google’s search business in the coming weeks.
Google given nine months to comply
Google will have nine months to implement all required changes, though the CMA said it expects key publisher controls to become available well before that deadline.
The company will also have to submit and publish compliance reports every six months during the first year, backed by data and metrics explaining what changes it has made and how it has complied.
The CMA said it may introduce further measures if needed to ensure a fair exchange of value between Google and publishers.
