The UK's competition regulator has unveiled proposals that could empower news publishers and web organisations to prevent Google from using their content for its AI-generated search summaries. This move aims to address growing concerns over declining website traffic and revenue since the introduction of these automated overviews.
Addressing Market Dominance Concerns
Under the new digital markets competition regime, the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) has launched a month-long consultation on allowing publishers to opt out of their content being used to power AI features like Google's AI Overviews or to train AI models outside of traditional search. This represents the first concrete measures announced under the UK's updated regulatory framework for digital markets.
Media organisations have reported significant drops in click-through traffic to their websites since Google began displaying AI summaries at the top of search results. Many users now read these automated summaries without visiting the original source material, directly impacting publisher revenue streams.
The Opt-Out Dilemma
Until now, websites have faced an impossible choice: they could not selectively opt out of having their content scraped for AI overviews without completely withdrawing from traditional Google search. Given Google's overwhelming market dominance in search, such a withdrawal would severely diminish the visibility of their journalism and content.
Owen Meredith, chief executive of the News Media Association trade body, welcomed the CMA's recognition that Google has been "able to extract valuable data without reward, harming publishers and giving the company an unfair advantage over competitors in the AI model market, including British startups."
Broader Regulatory Measures
The CMA's proposals extend beyond AI content usage. The regulator also indicated that Google would need to ensure fair ranking of search results, avoiding preferential treatment for organisations with commercial relationships or penalising websites that criticise the company. Google maintains that it does not provide special treatment based on organisational relationships.
Additionally, the CMA is expected to legally require Google to implement "choice screens" on Android mobiles and the Google Chrome browser, making it easier for users to switch to alternative search services.
Mixed Reactions and Implementation Timeline
While news media organisations hope these changes will strengthen their negotiating position regarding payment for content used in Google's AI features, there has been disappointment about the CMA's decision to wait a year before determining whether further action is needed to ensure publishers receive fair and reasonable terms for their content.
Google responded cautiously, stating: "Any new controls need to avoid breaking search in a way that leads to a fragmented or confusing experience." The company added that it was "working on ways to let news sites opt out of AI overviews."
Industry Context and Impact
The proposals come amid broader industry concerns about AI's impact on media. A recent Reuters Institute for the Study of Journalism report found media executives worldwide anticipate search engine referrals could decline by 43% over the next three years due to the rise of AI summaries and chatbots.
Data from Chartbeat covering more than 2,500 news sites indicates Google search traffic has already fallen by 33% globally, with lifestyle, celebrity and travel content experiencing more significant impacts than current affairs and traditional news outlets.
Sarah Cardell, the CMA's chief executive, stated that these measures would "give UK businesses and consumers more control over how they interact with Google search, unlock opportunity for innovation across the UK tech sector and provide a fairer deal for content publishers, particularly news organisations."
Ron Eden, Google's principal for product management, commented: "Our goal is to protect the helpfulness of search for people who want information quickly, while also giving websites the right tools to manage their content. We look forward to engaging in the CMA's process and will continue discussions with website owners and other stakeholders on this topic."
