Google must allow news sites to opt out of having their online content scraped to feed Artificial Intelligence overviews and other Artificial Intelligence services and features for British users, regulators said Wednesday. The Competition and Markets Authority said it is ordering Google to give online publishers the option, in what it called a “world first.” The watchdog is using new digital powers to push changes to Google’s business practices and loosen the company’s dominance in the U.K. online search market.
Under the decision, Google will have to give publishers “effective tools” to prevent their content from being used to power the company’s generative Artificial Intelligence services and its search features, including Artificial Intelligence Overviews and Artificial Intelligence Mode. Google will also have to properly cite publisher content in Artificial Intelligence-generated search results by using clear links. Publishers must also be allowed to opt out of having their content used to fine-tune Artificial Intelligence models.
The watchdog said the decision will give publishers a stronger hand when negotiating content deals with Google. Publishers are defined as anyone who puts content on the web that is available to people in Britain. The ruling was expected because the regulator had released draft proposals at the start of the year after using its new digital powers to label Google a “strategic” player in online search advertising.
The Competition and Markets Authority previously found that news publishers had suffered a drop in traffic since Google rolled out Artificial Intelligence Overviews, summaries that appear at the top of some search queries, because fewer users are clicking through to the original articles. The requirements will also apply to major changes Google unveiled in May that further embed Artificial Intelligence in the company’s search services. Google said it is engaging with regulators to ensure website owners have the right tools as user preferences evolve, and said it is testing a new control for how links and content appear in generative Artificial Intelligence search features.
