The UK’s Competition and Markets Authority ordered Google to attribute publishers’ content more clearly in its AI-generated search results and to let publishers opt out of having their content used in AI features like AI Overviews and AI Mode. The opt-out, which the CMA called a world first, also covers using publishers’ content to train and ground Google’s broader generative AI, and Google is barred from retaliating by downranking sites that opt out in regular search. The rules land as publishers worldwide see click-through rates collapse under AI search, and the CMA framed them as a way to give news organizations more leverage in negotiating content deals with Google. The company, which handles more than 90% of UK searches, has nine months to comply and is already testing a Search Console toggle for publishers to control how their content appears.
