The UK regulator has taken new action, with the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) urging Google to give publishers more control over their content. Specifically, publishers should have the option to opt out of Google's AI Overviews and independent AI model training, which is a key proposal put forward by the CMA.

Previously in October, the CMA designated Google as having a Strategic Market Status, an action intended to promote competition in the UK search sector. Currently, Google holds an overwhelmingly dominant position in the UK search market, with a market share exceeding 90%. This monopoly-like situation is not conducive to the healthy development of the market. The goal of the proposed reforms is clear: to ensure fairer ranking practices and greater transparency in the search sector. Under the new proposals, publishers will be able to prevent their content from being used for AI features without harming their visibility in search results, which to some extent protects publishers' rights and interests.

In response to the CMA's proposals, Google stated that it is exploring updates to provide publishers with corresponding control options. However, Google also emphasized the importance of maintaining a smooth search experience. Currently, a public consultation on these proposals is underway and will continue until February 25th, during which feedback from all parties will be fully collected and considered.