UK watchdog gives Google publishers new AI content controls

Google faces new regulations in the UK that will allow publishers to control how their content fuels artificial intelligence features. The Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) has mandated that Google must permit publishers to opt out of having their content used for AI Overviews and AI mode.

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Publishers do not like this, arguing that over views dissuade users from clicking through to their content – and thus denying them readers and advertising revenue.

AI Overviews, generated by Google's Gemini AI model, summarize information from various websites. Publishers have argued that these summaries discourage users from clicking through to their original content, leading to significant drops in readership and advertising revenue. Under the new rules, publishers who currently allow their content in standard Google search results will be able to prevent its inclusion in AI Overviews.

Furthermore, Google is now required to ensure that publisher content is clearly flagged and attributed within these AI-generated responses, providing direct links to the source material. The tech giant must also allow publishers to opt out of their content being used to update the AI models themselves. This is a crucial step for publishers who have seen traffic plummet since AI summaries began appearing.

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Publishers have seen dramatic falls in Google traffic to their websites, and therefore revenue, since their content was pulled into AI summaries.

The CMA hopes these "conduct requirements" will empower publishers in negotiations with Google for content usage. This intervention signals a potential shift in how tech giants compensate creators for the data that trains their AI systems. While a mass boycott by publishers seems unlikely, the CMA's decision provides a new avenue for publishers, like The New York Times which has already spent $20 million on lawsuits against AI firms, to seek fair compensation for their intellectual property.

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The CMA hopes this will give publishers greater leverage in content deals with Google, by forcing the company to seek permission to use their intellectual property.