Google must allow publishers to opt out of AI Overviews in UK search results under new CMA conduct requirements

Britain's Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) has given Google nine months to roll out changes that allow publishers to prevent their content from appearing in AI Overviews and to opt out of having their content used for fine-tuning of AI models.

Publishers will gain control over how their content is used across AI features in search, with Google required to properly attribute publisher content with clear links in AI-generated results. The CMA described this as a "world first" requirement on Google's search services in the UK.

The CMA designated Google with strategic market status in October, noting the firm accounts for more than 90% of searches in the UK. The move follows complaints from publishers about sharp declines in website traffic since Google launched AI-generated summaries at the top of search results.