UK competition regulator proposes letting publishers opt out of Google AI Overviews

The UK Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) published conduct measures for Google on January 28, 2026. They were issued under the digital markets regime to improve search services. The proposals let publishers opt out of Google AI Overviews. They also require attribution when content appears in those summaries. The CMA says the changes address declines in referral traffic to publisher sites caused by AI-generated answers. A public consultation runs until February 25, 2026. These proposals follow CMA investigations into Google's dominance in general search. Additional measures aim to boost choice in search distribution and increase transparency around AI-generated results.

Why It Matters

• Publishers can opt out of AI Overviews to help preserve referral traffic and related revenue.
• Attribution requirements make AI search outputs auditable, aiding legal reviews and content licensing compliance.
• IT teams using Google Search APIs should monitor the UK regime and prepare to update indexing, consent, and attribution workflows.
• Sets a regulatory precedent that may influence training-data sourcing, content agreements, and global platform policies.