UK Forces Google to Let Publishers Opt Out of AI Search Under New Rules

The move is aimed at giving publishers more control over how their content is used by the California-based tech giant.

The Google house at CES 2024, a consumer electronics trade show, in Las Vegas, on Jan. 10, 2024. Steve Marcus /Reuters

The UK has imposed new requirements on Google’s search services, including allowing publishers to stop their content from being used to power the U.S. tech giant’s artificial intelligence features, the country’s competition regulator announced on June 3.

The country’s Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) flagged concerns about the tech giant’s dominance in search, designating Google “strategic market status,” which allows it to set targeted rules to increase trust and transparency.