UK forces Google to let publishers block AI search summaries

Britain's Competition and Markets Authority has ordered Alphabet's Google to overhaul how its AI-generated search summaries use publisher content, a move the regulator describes as a global first.

Under the ruling, website owners will be able to block their material from feeding Google's generative AI search features, shifting negotiating power back toward content creators.

"This will put publishers, like news organisations, in a stronger position to negotiate content deals with Google," the CMA said Wednesday.

Google has nine months to implement the full scope of changes demanded by the CMA. The company has already moved to begin testing new controls that allow "a subset of website owners" in the UK to manage how their links and content appear in AI-powered search results.

Mrinalini Loew, general manager at Google Search Ecosystem, said in a blog post that the company is "actively listening to feedback from publishers and creators" and engaging with regulators to develop the right tools as user habits shift.

In addition to opt-outs, Google is also expected to provide clear information on how its search content is utilised in its generative AI technologies. This means that the firm will be compelled to provide engagement data to publishers and attribute content that appears in AI-generated summaries back to its original source.

This order emanates from the previous decision by the CMA to declare Google a "strategically important market", in which case the regulator is mandated to request data and compel changes from the tech giant, although it cannot conclude that such actions are anti-competitive.