Sept 1 - European Union antitrust authorities have requested input from news publishers on a proposal from Google to allow publishers to opt out of having their content used to generate AI search summaries without affecting their ranking in traditional search results, according to a questionnaire circulated to publishers.
The regulators sent the document in July and set an August 28 deadline for replies. The questionnaire asks whether publishers would make use of the opt-out and what considerations would influence their decision. It also solicits views on recent modifications to Google’s search interface announced in May, which consolidate AI Overviews and AI Mode into a single AI Search experience.
Google announced the opt-out option for publishers in June. That same day, the UK antitrust regulator ordered the company to offer publishers the ability to prevent their content from being used to power its AI features. Google has said it intends to roll the opt-out out globally; the company declined to provide additional comment while pointing to a blog post published on June 3 explaining the change.
The regulator questionnaire arrives against the backdrop of concerns from some publishers that Google’s AI-generated summaries - known as AI Overviews - have reduced traffic to their sites and contributed to declining revenue. Those AI Overviews appear above traditional search hyperlinks and have sparked complaints to EU antitrust authorities.
The European Commission is conducting an investigation that could result in further enforcement action, including substantial fines, if regulators determine the opt-out and other Google measures do not adequately address competition issues or publishers’ concerns about the use of their content. Over almost two decades, Google’s parent company has accumulated more than 10 billion euros in EU antitrust fines for a variety of breaches.
Context and next steps - The questionnaire seeks detailed feedback from publishers on practical and commercial considerations tied to the opt-out, as well as reactions to the May search-box changes that merge AI Overviews and AI Mode into a combined AI Search offering. How publishers respond could influence whether the EU views Google’s remedies as sufficient or whether further action will be pursued under the ongoing probe.