CMA requires Google to opt-out for AI search results

Specifically, Google must fulfill three requirements: First, publishers must be able to exclude their content from AI features such as AI Overviews and AI Mode. Second, Google must clearly attribute content in AI-generated results and provide links to the original sources. Third, an opt-out for the use of publisher content when fine-tuning AI models is mandated.

Three specific obligations for Google

CMA CEO Sarah Cardell explained in German: "Today, we have introduced a world first for Google's search services in the UK, enabling fair treatment, more transparency, and real choices for businesses and consumers." The new rules are explicitly designed in response to current and future changes to the search service, including the AI features announced in May.

Google has already announced that it will introduce new control and analysis functions for website operators. This includes a switch in Google Search Console that allows pages to be excluded from AI features. According to Google, pages that use this opt-out will not receive any calls or impressions via AI Overviews and AI Mode; however, their ranking in the classic search will remain unchanged.

Implementation in Search Console

The test of the new Search Console setting will initially start with selected website operators in the UK and is intended to be rolled out worldwide later. The CMA expects that significant parts of the new control options will be available well before the nine-month implementation period for publishers and intends to actively monitor the implementation.

In parallel, further proceedings are underway in Europe: The European Commission has been investigating since December 2025 whether Google's use of third-party content in AI search functions impairs competition. In February 2026, the Federation of European Publishers filed a formal antitrust complaint against Google. Publishers accuse Google of using publisher content for AI summaries without consent, fair compensation, or practical protection options.

European proceedings against Google

The potential economic consequences of the change are illustrated by a statement from Condé Nast CEO Roger Lynch. He said in an interview with TBPN that he had instructed his teams to plan strategically "as if web search no longer existed." In his assessment, Google references could in the future account for only a single-digit percentage of total traffic; Lynch had previously stated that Google Search was no longer a significant traffic driver.

The introduction of AI Overviews is now more than three years old; the AI Mode for Google One AI Premium subscribers was launched in the US about a year ago. At the I/O 2026 developer conference, Google also presented a dynamic search bar that adapts to complex queries and can process videos, images, files, and open Chrome tabs. Google itself described this as the biggest upgrade to the search bar in over 25 years.

Google emphasizes that it is in dialogue with regulators like the CMA to provide suitable tools for website operators and is actively listening to feedback from publishers and creators. How the new rules will affect the relationship between search engines and content providers in the long term remains to be seen – not only in the UK but also in the ongoing European investigation.