UK Forces Google to Let Publishers Opt Out

The UK's Competition and Markets Authority has ordered Google to let publishers block their content from appearing in AI Overviews, AI Mode, and Discover without affecting their search rankings. Publishers will also gain controls to prevent their data from being used in AI fine-tuning projects, and Google must cite sources with clear links in AI-generated results. Google has nine months to comply and is already testing the opt-out setting with select UK publishers, with a global rollout planned. The move may help Google address a parallel EU antitrust probe into AI Overviews and YouTube creator content used in AI training.