The UK’s Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) has opened a formal consultation on a first set of “conduct requirements” that could force Google to change how Search works in the UK — with a major focus on AI-generated answers (including AI Overviews) and the way they use publisher content.
The proposals follow the CMA’s decision in October 2025 to designate Google with Strategic Market Status (SMS) in general search and search advertising — a label that allows the watchdog to impose targeted rules under the UK’s digital markets regime.
What the CMA is proposing
The consultation outlines four headline measures:
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Publisher controls (AI Overviews + training outside Search)
Publishers would be able to opt out of their content being used to power AI features such as AI Overviews, and also opt out of content being used to train AI models outside of Google Search. -
Attribution in AI results
Google would be required to take “practical steps” to ensure publisher content is properly attributed in AI-generated results. -
Fair ranking rules (including AI Overviews / AI Mode)
Google would need to demonstrate ranking is fair and transparent, including within AI-generated experiences like AI Overviews and AI Mode, and strengthen processes for businesses to raise ranking-related issues. -
Choice screens + data portability
The CMA proposes making default search choice screens a legal requirement on Android and introducing choice screens on Chrome, plus putting Google’s search data portability tooling on a firmer legal footing.
The consultation is open until 25 February 2026, after which the CMA will decide whether to impose the measures (and in what form).
Why it matters for publishers (and for the open web)
AI Overviews are designed to answer queries directly on Google — which critics say reduces click-through traffic to original sources. A core complaint from publishers is that today’s practical “opt-out” can look like a false choice: refusing AI use may also hurt visibility in traditional search results.
The CMA’s framing is blunt: Search is increasingly AI-driven, and the regulator wants publishers to have meaningful control, more transparency, and better attribution — partly to protect the long-term sustainability of trusted online information.
Notably, the CMA says it will wait 12 months to evaluate the impact of these initial steps before deciding whether to go further on ensuring publishers receive “fair and reasonable terms” for their content — which suggests a slower path on any direct compensation-style remedies.
Google’s response
Google has said it already provides publishers with content controls and is exploring updates that would let sites opt out specifically from Search generative AI features — while warning that changes shouldn’t degrade the search experience for users.
What happens next
If implemented, these rules would become one of the most concrete UK attempts so far to define how AI-generated search should treat web content — from opt-outs and attribution to switching defaults on the biggest search distribution channels (Android and Chrome).
