UK regulator imposes conduct rules on Google search, including AI training opt-out for publishers

The UK's Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) has ordered Google to allow publishers to opt out of having their content used in AI search features like AI Overviews and to prevent it from fine-tuning AI models, a move described as a world-first regulatory decision, The Verge reported. The CMA designated Google as holding strategic market status, imposing conduct rules that require Google to provide tools for publishers to control their content's use in AI-generated search summaries while maintaining visibility in standard results, according to multiple sources. Google announced compliance, stating it will offer a toggle in Search Console for publishers to opt out, initially testing the feature in the UK before a global rollout, as reported by bsky. The CMA set a nine-month implementation timeline and mandated compliance reports every six months during the first year, addressing concerns that AI summaries reduce traffic to publisher websites.