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UK officials will require Google to better highlight the sources from which it pulls answers for AI Overviews, and will allow publishers to opt out of having their content included in AI summaries.
Google will have nine months to make these changes, but the UK’s Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) says it "expects important parts of the controls to become available to publishers well before that deadline."
Google will be "required to make sure that publisher content is properly attributed, using clear links, in AI‑generated search results," according to the CMA, which argues that the move will put publishers "in a stronger position to negotiate content deals with Google."
(Credit: Jon Martindale / Google)At I/O last month, Google teased the biggest upgrade to its search box in 25 years. The CMA says its rules will apply there too, but it's "actively monitoring how Google is implementing these changes—including assessing the implications for businesses," and could "bring forward work on further measures to ensure a fair exchange of value between Google and publishers."
In a Tuesday blog post, Google said, "features like AI Overviews and AI Mode are designed to help people find and visit great websites, and to help publishers and websites strengthen their audiences." That includes "prominent links to websites" that serve as "a jumping-off point."
The primary complaint from publishers about Google's AI Overviews, however, is that they reduce clicks to their websites—the very websites from which Google's AI pulls its information. An August survey from Digital Content Next (DCN) found that median year-over-year referral traffic from Google Search dropped 10% in May and June 2025, though some of the worst-hit publishers reported click-through declines of up to 25%.
Google says it's now testing "a new control that lets website owners manage how their links and content appear in generative AI Search features." It will give website owners more information through the Search Console, including impression data on which pages appear in AI search summaries and for which countries.
Those who opt out will not be penalized in traditional search rankings, it says. The test is rolling out to a subset of UK website owners, but will eventually be available globally.
Not a fan of AI summaries? We have a few tips for removing them.