Britain’s competition regulator has imposed new requirements on Google that will allow publishers to prevent their content from being used in AI-generated search summaries, a move aimed at increasing transparency and strengthening publishers’ control over online content.
The UK’s Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) said the measures form part of its oversight of Google’s search business after designating the company as having strategic market status in general search. The designation gives the regulator powers to introduce targeted measures intended to promote fair competition and transparency.
The CMA said the latest requirements are designed to address concerns raised by publishers over the growing use of their content in AI-generated search results. Publishers have argued that AI summaries can reduce visits to their websites by providing users with information directly within search results, leading to lower click-through rates and reduced advertising revenue.
Under the new framework, Google will be required to provide clearer attribution when publisher content is used in AI-generated summaries, enabling users to identify the original source of information.
“Google has recently announced changes to its search business and the requirements we’ve introduced today are designed to respond to what Google is doing now and in the future,” CMA Chief Executive Sarah Cardell said.
Google has meanwhile stated that it is testing new controls that would allow publishers to decide whether their content can appear in AI Overviews. However, the company indicated that publishers choosing to opt out would not receive referral traffic from those AI-generated summaries.
The proposal has drawn concern from the News Media Association (NMA), which represents news organisations across Britain.
“Publishers need confidence that opting out of AI uses will not translate into reduced prominence in general search through knock-on effects,” the association said in a statement published on the CMA’s website.
The regulator has been examining the impact of generative AI on publishers for several months. Earlier this year, the CMA proposed measures aimed at restricting the use of publisher content in generative AI systems without permission.
Google remains the dominant search engine in Britain, accounting for more than 90 per cent of all search queries. The company’s search crawler gathers information from websites for use in search products, including AI Overviews, and also supports the training of Google’s artificial intelligence systems, including its Gemini AI assistant.
The latest measures are expected to be closely watched by publishers, technology companies and regulators worldwide as governments seek to balance innovation in artificial intelligence with the rights of content creators and news organisations.
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