The UK’s Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) has instructed Google to provide publishers with tools to opt out of having their content used in AI Overviews and other AI search features.
The CMA called this a “world-first” move and said it would give publishers a stronger position when negotiating content deals with Google. Google has nine months to make these changes, with some controls expected to arrive sooner.
This requirement follows Google’s recognition as having strategic market status in general search services, which allows the CMA to enforce specific conduct rules.
What the CMA Now Requires Google to Do for Publishers
Under the CMA’s order, Google is required to introduce tools that allow publishers to opt out of having their content used in AI features within Search, including AI Overviews. Publishers must also be able to prevent their content from being used to fine-tune AI models.
Additionally, Google needs to ensure that publishers’ material is properly attributed through clear links. The company will publish compliance reports every six months during the first year.
Importantly, publishers will have the ability to stop their material from appearing in AI search responses without removing it from Google’s traditional search results.
Previously, the main way to prevent AI Overviews was to block Google’s crawlers entirely, which also meant removing the site from regular search.
Google’s Response and the New AI Opt-Out Tests in Search Console
Google says it is already testing new controls with a select group of UK website owners through Search Console. These controls allow sites to decide whether their content appears in AI Overviews, AI Mode, and AI Overviews in Discover.
Choosing to opt out means that these sites will no longer receive traffic or impressions from Google’s generative AI search features. Google emphasizes that this choice will not impact traditional search rankings.
The company is also introducing new Search Console insights that show when pages appear in generative AI search features and in which countries. According to Google, AI Overviews have more than 2.5 billion monthly active users, while AI Mode has surpassed one billion monthly users.
Why Publishers Pushed for AI Search Opt-Out, and What They Should Consider
The order comes amid ongoing complaints from publishers that Google’s AI summaries answer user questions directly, which reduces traffic to the original sources. A 2025 Pew Research Center report found that users were almost 50% less likely to click on links when AI Overviews appeared, challenging Google’s claim that its summaries do not impact website traffic.
For news organizations and other publishers, losing referral traffic directly affects advertising revenue and subscription conversions, making the option to opt out of AI Overviews a significant commercial concern.
UK publishers considering the opt-out face a trade-off. Choosing to opt out of AI features means their content won’t be included in AI Overviews or AI Mode, but it also means they lose any traffic and impressions those surfaces generate.
Since AI Overviews tend to reduce click-throughs to original source links, some publishers might see the AI exposure as offering little traffic benefit. Others may prefer to keep whatever visibility it provides.
The opt-out for AI model fine-tuning is a separate option that allows publishers to prevent their content from helping train Google’s models, regardless of how they choose to display AI Overviews.
Timeline, UK-Only Scope, and Open Questions About Search Controls
Google has nine months to fully implement these changes, although some controls are expected to be in place sooner. The CMA will oversee compliance through the required six-month reports during the first year.
The controls are currently limited to the United Kingdom under the CMA’s authority. It is unclear whether similar requirements will be adopted in other regions.
Publishers have also questioned why the default setting uses their content unless they actively opt out, instead of requiring explicit opt-in consent.
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