Google may give sites a way to opt out of AI search generative features

Google is exploring ways to give site owners a way to prevent Google from using its content for Search AI generative features including AI Mode and AI Overviews. Google said this is based on the new requirements from UK’s Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) and any measures must avoid breaking how Google Search works.

What Google said. Google wrote:

• “We’re now exploring updates to our controls to let sites specifically opt out of Search generative AI features.”

Google added that these options cannot break Google Search, Google said:

• “Any new controls need to avoid breaking Search in a way that leads to a fragmented or confusing experience for people.”

When is this coming. It is unclear when these new controls are coming but more controls are welcomed. Many publishers, content creators, site owners – want to be able to control if Google uses their content for Search AI features, like AI Overviews and AI Mode. These new controls, whatever they might be, will give us more control in how Google uses our content for their features.

Full text. Here is what Google posted on its blog this morning:

Shifts in user behavior are rapidly changing how people search for information, and features like AI Overviews are helping people discover new content and ask more questions. Today, the UK’s Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) opened a consultation on potential new requirements for Google Search, including on the controls we provide to websites to manage their content in Search AI features. This is a complex topic because it can affect how people find information and how websites get found in Search.

For years, we have provided web publishers with a range of controls, based on open standards like robots.txt, to manage how their content appears in Search. As technology has evolved, so have our tools. We added controls for things like Featured Snippets and image previews (which also apply to AI Overviews). And more recently, we introduced Google-Extended, a new control that lets websites manage how their content is used to train our Gemini models.

Building on this framework, and working with the web ecosystem, we’re now exploring updates to our controls to let sites specifically opt out of Search generative AI features. Our goal is to protect the helpfulness of Search for people who want information quickly, while also giving websites the right tools to manage their content. We look forward to engaging in the CMA’s process and will continue discussions with website owners and other stakeholders on this topic.

Any new controls need to avoid breaking Search in a way that leads to a fragmented or confusing experience for people. As AI increasingly becomes a core part of how people find information, any new controls also need to be simple and scalable for website owners.

We’re optimistic we can find a path forward that provides even more choice to website owners and publishers, while ensuring people continue to get the most helpful and innovative Search experience possible.

Why we care. More controls are no doubt better than fewer controls from Google. And SEOs, site owners, publishers, etc have been asking Google to give us controls over how our content is used for AI Overviews and AI Mode.

These controls may be coming soon – so stay tuned.

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