Key events<\/p>\n
Google will start testing new search changes on ‘subset’ of UK website owners today<\/p>\n
Google has said it will immediately start testing new changes that will allow a \u201csubset of website owners\u201d in the UK to manage how their links and content appear in generative AI search features.<\/p>\n
Mrinalini Loew, general manager at Google Search Ecosystem, wrote in a blog post <\/a>today:<\/p>\n double quotation markWe\u2019re also actively listening to feedback from publishers and creators, and engaging with regulators like the UK\u2019s Competition and Markets Authority to ensure website owners have the right tools as user preferences evolve. Today, we\u2019re beginning to test a new control that lets website owners manage how their links and content appear in generative AI Search features.<\/p>\n A new tool will allow website owners to decide if they want their site to appear in and help \u201cground responses\u201d in Google\u2019s AI search features such as AI overviews and AI mode.<\/p>\n The control will not be used as a ranking signal for search results outside the generative AI Search features, Loew said.<\/p>\n double quotation markWe\u2019re also starting to roll out new insights for website owners in Search Console about the appearance of their pages in generative AI Search features. These insights include impressions metrics and information about which pages appear in AI responses and in what countries. We\u2019re continuing to work with website owners to understand what insights will be most helpful to inform their strategies, and we\u2019ll introduce additional metrics over time.<\/p>\n We are beginning to roll these features out to a subset of website owners in the UK, allowing for thorough testing before rolling them out to website owners globally. As AI opens up new opportunities for discovery, we\u2019ll keep improving our experiences to help people explore the web, and keep building tools for websites to better engage their audiences<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n Updated at\u00a008.53 CEST<\/p>\n Google has nine months to implement changes to its search, regulator says<\/p>\n Google has nine months to implement all the required changes to its search services, the competition regulator has said.<\/p>\n However, the CMA has said it expects \u201cimportant parts of the controls to become available to publishers well before that deadline\u201d.<\/p>\n The regulator has also asked Google to submit and publish compliance reports, explaining changes it has made and how it has complied. These are due every six months for the first year, after which the CMA will then review the frequency of reporting.<\/p>\n Google is not the only big tech company under the CMA\u2019s sights \u2013 the regulator has launched strategic market status investigations into Apple and Microsoft, too.<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n The rules announced today come after the CMA decided last year to designate <\/a>Google<\/a> with strategic market status<\/a> in general search services, a term that means the company has such market power that it requires a special regulatory regime.<\/p>\n The watchdog has the power under new digital laws to order changes to how Google operates in those areas.<\/p>\n It will be a welcome change for many news media organisations and web publishers, who are hoping that it could increase their leverage to get paid if their content is used in Google\u2019s AI mode.<\/p>\n Cardell has also said this morning that Google\u2019s compliance would be actively monitored and that the regulator will be \u201cannouncing further action in relation to Google\u2019s search business in the coming weeks\u201d.<\/p>\n Share<\/a>Introduction: Google must give UK publishers choice to block AI search summaries, says competition watchdog<\/p>\n Good morning, and welcome to our rolling coverage of business, the financial markets and the world economy.<\/p>\n The UK\u2019s competition watchdog has announced that web publishers and news organisations will now be able to opt out of AI overviews of Google search results.<\/p>\n The Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) has said its new rules will put \u201cpublishers, like news organisations, in a stronger position to negotiate content deals with Google\u201d.<\/p>\n The intervention comes after complaints by media organisations that they have experienced a drop in click-through traffic to their websites \u2013 and therefore their revenue \u2013 since Google started posting AI summaries at the top of search results.<\/p>\n CMA chief executive Sarah Cardell said in a statement:<\/p>\n double quotation markWith features like AI Overviews rapidly reshaping online search, it is crucial that content publishers, including news organisations, have appropriate bargaining power over how their content is used. At the same time, these measures will help tens of millions of UK search users better understand and trust the information presented to them.<\/p>\n It\u2019s also important that any action we take in this space can move with the times. Google has recently announced changes to its search business and the requirements we\u2019ve introduced today are designed to respond to what Google is doing now and in the future. We\u2019ll also continue to use the unique flexibility of the UK regime to monitor and address future concerns as they arise and we will be announcing further action in relation to Google\u2019s search business in the coming weeks.<\/p>\n Under the new rules, Google will also now have to make sure that publisher content is \u201cproperly attributed\u201d, using clear links in AI search results.<\/p>\n It will also have to allow publishers to opt out of allowing their content to be used for the \u201cfine-tuning of AI models\u201d which will provide \u201cpublishers with confidence that they will have control over the full range of AI use-cases of their content\u201d, the CMA said.<\/p>\n The agenda<\/p>\n 9am BST: Eurozone services PMI<\/p>\n 9.30am BST: UK services PMI<\/p>\n 3pm BST: US services PMI<\/p>\n Today: St Petersburg International Economic Forum<\/p>\n Today: FTSE<\/a> reshuffle to be announced after market close<\/p>\n