UK CMA Orders Google to Let Publishers Opt Out of AI Training and Search Summaries

The UK Competition and Markets Authority announced that publishers will be able to opt out of their content being used to train Google’s AI models and power its search summaries. The regulator imposed new conduct requirements on search services after designating Google with strategic market status in general search services.

Publishers will now have effective tools to prevent their content being used to power AI features in search, such as AI Overviews.

The new rules will put publishers, like news organisations, in a stronger position to negotiate content deals with Google. Google is required to make sure that publisher content is properly attributed, using clear links, in AI-generated search results. Google will now also have to allow publishers to opt out of allowing their content to be used for the ‘fine-tuning’ of AI models.

This provides publishers with confidence that they will have control over the full range of AI use-cases of their content, the Competition and Markets Authority said. The designation allows the CMA to introduce targeted rules, known as ‘conduct requirements’, for Google’s search activities if proportionate for the purposes of ensuring fair dealing, open choices or trust and transparency.

The CMA first proposed the idea of an AI search summary opt-out in January.

Google’s compliance would be actively monitored. Google accounts for more than 90% of UK queries. The CMA will be announcing further action in relation to Google’s search business in the coming weeks, Cardell added.