LONDON (AP) — British regulators announced Wednesday that Google must provide news websites with the ability to prevent their content from being harvested for AI-powered search summaries and other artificial intelligence features targeting users in Britain.
The Competition and Markets Authority announced it was mandating that Google offer this option to online publishers, describing the move as a “world first.”
The regulatory agency is working to break the American technology company’s dominant grip on Britain’s online search market by utilizing new digital enforcement powers to compel changes in the firm’s operational methods.
According to the ruling, Google must provide publishers with “effective tools” to block their material from being utilized in the company’s generative artificial intelligence offerings and AI search capabilities including AI Overviews and AI Mode.
Google must also provide proper attribution for publisher material in AI-created search results through clear linking, and allow publishers to prevent their content from being used in AI model training.
The regulatory body stated the ruling will strengthen publishers’ position during content licensing negotiations with Google. Publishers are characterized as any entity that makes content available online to British audiences.
The CMA’s decision was anticipated, as the agency had published preliminary recommendations earlier this year after using new digital enforcement capabilities to designate Google as a “strategic” participant in online search advertising.
The agency had previously determined that news publishers experienced decreased website traffic following Google’s introduction of AI Overviews — brief summaries displayed above certain search results — as fewer users navigate to source articles.
The regulatory body indicated its mandates will extend to significant modifications Google announced in May, which further integrate AI throughout the company’s search platforms.
Google is “engaging with regulators like the UK’s Competition and Markets Authority to ensure website owners have the right tools as user preferences evolve,” stated the company’s general manager of search ecosystem, Mrinalini Loew, in a blog post.
“Today, we’re beginning to test a new control that lets website owners manage how their links and content appear in generative AI Search features.”
CMA Chief Executive Sarah Cardell indicated the requirements will produce “fair treatment, greater transparency and meaningful choice for businesses and consumers” and will assist tens of millions of British users to “better understand and trust the information presented to them.”
