The UK competition watchdog has introduced new requirements for Google, enabling publishers to block their content from being used by the search engine's crawler for display in AI-generated summaries, according to a Reuters report.
Background of the Regulatory Action
The Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) designated Google with strategic market status in general search last year. This designation allows the regulator to impose specific and targeted regulations to maintain trust and transparency in the digital marketplace.
Impact on Publishers
The regulator believes these new requirements will grant publishers greater control over their content and strengthen their bargaining power. AI summaries displayed by Google have significantly reduced click-through rates for publishers, causing concern across the industry.
Under the new regime, Google must properly display attribution stating the source of content in its AI summaries. CMA Chief Executive Sarah Cardell stated, "Google has recently announced changes to its search business, and the requirements we've introduced today are designed to respond to what Google is doing now and in the future."
Google's Response and Proposed Changes
Google has announced it is testing new changes that allow publishers to decide whether their content appears in AI overviews. Publishers who opt out will not receive traffic from these overviews, the company added.
The News Media Association (NMA), which represents news organizations in Britain, expressed concerns about the opt-out mechanism. In a statement published on the CMA's website, the NMA said, "Publishers need confidence that opting out of AI uses will not translate into reduced prominence in general search through knock-on effects."
Market Dominance and AI Training
Google accounts for over 90% of search queries in Britain. Its search crawler uses publisher content to populate AI overviews and train its AI model, including the Gemini AI assistant. The CMA had proposed measures in January to curb the use of generative AI for showcasing content without publisher consent.
These developments mark a significant step in the ongoing dialogue between regulators, tech giants, and content creators, aiming to balance innovation with fair compensation and control over intellectual property.
