HomePublishers Gain Right to Opt Out of AI Search Under New Rule
The U.K. has implemented new legal safeguards for Google’s AI search expansion. On Wednesday, Google confirmed it is complying with the U.K.’s regulatory demands, which require the tech giant to give publishers an option to opt out of having their content aggregated into AI search results.
To exercise this opt-out, publishers can use a new toggle within Google’s Search Console, a free tool that lets website owners control their visibility in Google’s search results.
After opting out, a publisher’s site will no longer appear in Google’s generative AI search features, such as AI Overviews, AI Mode, or AI Overviews in Discover. (Google, notably, highlighted in the same announcement that AI Overviews now serve over 2.5 billion monthly active users, while AI Mode has exceeded one billion monthly users.)
The company says it will initially test the opt-out feature with a small group of U.K. publishers before expanding it worldwide.
The U.K.’s Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) describes this step—restoring publishers’ control over how their content is used—as a “world first,” noting that it will place publishers, including news outlets, in a stronger negotiating position when striking content deals with Google for AI feature usage.
The CMA initially designated Google as having “strategic market status” last October, setting the stage for future regulations. In January, it urged Google to provide website publishers with a choice regarding whether their content is aggregated into AI search features or used to train standalone AI models.
In addition to the opt-out toggle, Google is now required to ensure proper attribution for publisher content in AI features, using clear links. Google indicated it is complying, noting it recently increased the number of inline links within its AI responses and added website previews to encourage user clicks.
Google states that opting out of generative AI search features will not affect a site’s ranking in traditional Google search.
However, Google plans to introduce new metrics in Search Console aimed at influencing publishers who might consider opting out. These will include impression data and details on which pages appear in AI responses and in which countries. Google said more metrics will be added over time.
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![RyanTaylor]()
So publishers finally get a say in whether their content gets scraped for AI search? About time, but I wonder if this will actually slow down Google's AI ambitions or just create more legal headaches. 🤔
The U.K. has implemented new legal safeguards for Google’s AI search expansion. On Wednesday, Google confirmed it is complying with the U.K.’s regulatory demands, which require the tech giant to give publishers an option to opt out of having their content aggregated into AI search results.
To exercise this opt-out, publishers can use a new toggle within Google’s Search Console, a free tool that lets website owners control their visibility in Google’s search results.
After opting out, a publisher’s site will no longer appear in Google’s generative AI search features, such as AI Overviews, AI Mode, or AI Overviews in Discover. (Google, notably, highlighted in the same announcement that AI Overviews now serve over 2.5 billion monthly active users, while AI Mode has exceeded one billion monthly users.)
The company says it will initially test the opt-out feature with a small group of U.K. publishers before expanding it worldwide.
The U.K.’s Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) describes this step—restoring publishers’ control over how their content is used—as a “world first,” noting that it will place publishers, including news outlets, in a stronger negotiating position when striking content deals with Google for AI feature usage.
The CMA initially designated Google as having “strategic market status” last October, setting the stage for future regulations. In January, it urged Google to provide website publishers with a choice regarding whether their content is aggregated into AI search features or used to train standalone AI models.
In addition to the opt-out toggle, Google is now required to ensure proper attribution for publisher content in AI features, using clear links. Google indicated it is complying, noting it recently increased the number of inline links within its AI responses and added website previews to encourage user clicks.
Google states that opting out of generative AI search features will not affect a site’s ranking in traditional Google search.
However, Google plans to introduce new metrics in Search Console aimed at influencing publishers who might consider opting out. These will include impression data and details on which pages appear in AI responses and in which countries. Google said more metrics will be added over time.
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So publishers finally get a say in whether their content gets scraped for AI search? About time, but I wonder if this will actually slow down Google's AI ambitions or just create more legal headaches. 🤔
