Why Google is changing its AI search rules in the UK

In a massive win for news organizations and content creators, the UK government is forcing tech giant Google to give publishers the power to pull their content from the company's AI-generated search features.

The new conduct requirements, handed down by Britain's Competition and Markets Authority (CMA), come as regulators worldwide scramble to rein in Big Tech's dominance over generative AI. Because Google accounts for more than 90% of all search queries in the UK, the CMA officially designated the tech giant with "strategic market status," allowing the watchdog to enforce targeted rules aimed at increasing trust and transparency, News.Az reports, citing Reuters.

The regulatory crackdown addresses a massive pain point for the media industry: a sharp drop in click-through rates. As Google has increasingly relied on AI-generated summaries to answer user queries directly on the search page, traditional web traffic to original sources has plummeted.

Under the new CMA requirements, Google must guarantee the following protections for UK publishers:

The Right to Opt Out: Digital publishers can completely stop their content from being used to power Google's AI features.

Clear Attribution: If content is used, Google must properly attribute the source with prominent, clear links in its AI-generated answers.

Unbiased Traditional Search: Opting out of AI features will not penalize a website's ranking in traditional, organic search results.

Responding to the mandate, Google announced it is testing new publisher controls to manage how links and content appear in its generative AI search features. The company noted that while sites opting out will no longer receive traffic from "AI Overviews" and "AI Mode," it is simultaneously rolling out new data insights and increasing the overall number of links embedded within its AI responses to help bridge the gap.

CMA Chief Executive Sarah Cardell emphasized that the new rules are designed to secure a fair deal for content creators, giving publishers "more control and stronger bargaining power over the use of their content" both now and in the future.

News.Az 

By Aysel Mammadzada