Arlington, VA – Today, Google announced that it would begin exploring options for content producers to opt out of their content being used in its search-related generative AI products, like AI Overviews or AI mode. The company is facing increasing scrutiny for its decision to tie appearance in search with appearance in these AI products, which is documented to cause extensive drops in click-through rates and web traffic. This decision comes almost immediately following the publication of the UK Competition and Market Authority’s proposed conduct requirements related to Google’s strategic market status in search.
In response to this news, Danielle Coffey, President and CEO of the News/Media Alliance, issued the following statement:
“Google’s announcement today is a welcome sign that the company is finally starting to listen to publishers, although only in response to sustained regulatory pressure. Publishers have spent too long being held hostage by Google’s decision to tie traditional search and AI search bots together, leaving publishers no choice but to relinquish valuable content for AI purposes that provide little return. Publishers – not just in the UK but in the United States and elsewhere – need and deserve the ability to opt out of Google’s AI to preserve the web traffic they need to fund the creation of quality content. We also welcome this tacit acknowledgement that permission is required under law to use copyright-protected content, something that Google’s peers in the AI space should recognize as well.
But while we’re cautiously optimistic that Google is on the right track, we will await further confirmation that this announcement, together with the CMA’s proposed conduct requirements, leads to lasting change. In the meantime, we will continue to hold Google accountable until a full opt-out, without penalty for traditional search, is implemented in the US.”
For more details about this issue, read Danielle’s op-ed in last week’s Dallas Morning News about how Google is forcing publishers to give the company’s AI bots access to their content.
