TECHNOLOGYCONVEY
THE GUARDIAN — TECH·JUNE 3, 2026

What do UK watchdog’s new rules on Google AI results mean for publishers?

VERIFIED FACTS
  • 01The UK Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) ordered Google to allow publishers to block their content from being used in AI Overviews and AI Mode features.
  • 02Under current setup, news publishers whose content appears in ordinary Google search results are automatically included in AI Overview responses; they will now be able to opt out.
  • 03Google must ensure publisher content is properly flagged and attributed in overview results with clear links to the material.
  • 04Google must allow publishers to opt out of their content being used to update AI models.
  • 05Google has nine months to implement the changes, with the CMA requesting swift action on the most important aspects.
  • 06AG Sulzberger, chair of the New York Times, revealed the publisher spent $20 million on lawsuits against OpenAI and Perplexity over use of its copyrighted content.
  • 07Google announced it is testing a new control letting website owners manage how their links and content appear in AI features, to be trialled with a subset of UK websites before global rollout.
  • 08The News Media Association hailed the CMA's move as a 'significant step towards levelling the playing field' in an online environment controlled by big tech algorithms.
  • 09Tim Cowen, co-founder of the Movement for an Open Web, stated the CMA's move provides a baseline that Google cannot simply take content and provides a framework for monetization.
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SUMMARY

The UK Competition and Markets Authority ordered Google to give news publishers the ability to opt out of having their content used in AI-powered search summaries like AI Overviews and AI Mode. Publishers will also be able to prevent their content from being used to train AI models, and Google must properly attribute and link to publisher material in summaries. Google has nine months to implement the changes, which will be tested first in the UK before rolling out globally, as publishers seek to protect advertising revenue and reader traffic affected by AI summaries.

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