The UK’s competition watchdog has proposed U.S. tech giant Google (GOOG) (GOOGL) undertake certain measures that would help British businesses and consumers make informed decisions when using the company’s online search services, including letting news publishers and content producers have a say in how their material is used in AI Overviews.
The Competition and Markets Authority on Wednesday asked Google to allow publishers to restrict their content from being used in AI Overviews or to train AI models and, in case they allow it, to ensure that AI-generated results accurately attribute the right source.
The CMA has also suggested that Google make its search result rankings “fair and transparent” for businesses, including in AI Overviews and AI Mode; allow people to switch search services by making default choice screens on Android mobiles a legal requirement and introduce choice screens on the Chrome browser; and make the use of Google search data easy.
“These targeted and proportionate actions would give UK businesses and consumers more choice and control over how they interact with Google’s search services—as well as unlocking greater opportunities for innovation across the UK tech sector and broader economy,” CMA chief executive Sarah Cardell said in a public statement. “They would also provide a fairer deal for content publishers, particularly news organisations, over how their content is used in Google’s AI Overviews.”
The proposed measures for Google from UK regulators come a day after the European Commission said it will guide the company to loosen control and share data with rival search engine firms and AI developers to comply with obligations under the bloc’s Digital Markets Act.