Google is considering new ways to allow websites and publishers to opt out of having their content used in AI Overviews, following mounting pressure from UK regulators.
The move comes after concerns that AI-generated summaries are reducing traffic to news sites and limiting publishers’ control over how their content is used.
According to a Reuters report, the UK Competition and Markets Authority has launched a formal consultation into Google’s handling of content within its AI-powered search features.
The regulator wants Google to give publishers the option to prevent their material from being scraped for AI summaries or used to train standalone AI models such as Gemini.
In a blog post published on Thursday, Google confirmed it is working on updates that would allow websites to exclude their content from generative AI features in Search.
The company said the goal is to preserve the usefulness of Google Search while giving publishers more control over how their work appears across AI products.
Google rolled out AI Overviews in mid-2024, placing AI-generated answers at the top of search results. Since then, publishers have complained they lack any opt-out option, despite reporting sharp declines in click-through traffic.
The CMA noted that Google controls more than 90 percent of the UK search market, warning that its dominance could undermine competition and damage news organisations that rely on search visibility.
Google said any new opt-out system must be scalable and avoid creating confusion for users. It pointed to existing tools such as robots.txt and Google-Extended, while acknowledging that further changes are needed.
The CMA is expected to review feedback over the next year. Google said it hopes to work closely with publishers and regulators to reach a solution that supports both users and content creators.
