The U.K.’s Competition and Markets Authority today issued a press release recommending measures that will give publishers more freedom in deciding how their content is used by Google LLC’s artificial intelligence systems.
About 90% of online search queries in the country use Google search, but now with Google’s AI Overviews and AI mode, which scrapes content from publishers and offers short or in-depth summaries, publishers are seeing far fewer people clicking on their websites. News websites have been hit particularly hard, recently called a “devastating impact,” following a study.
The government hopes to offset this by allowing publishers to opt out of Google harvesting their content. The new measures will also ask Google to properly attribute the sources from which the overviews are taken, with the aim to “provide a fairer deal for content publishers, particularly news organizations.”
Another change would be to force Google to ensure the ranking of search results is fair and transparent, while asking the company to give people quick access to other search engines.
“These targeted and proportionate actions would give U.K. 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 U.K. tech sector and broader economy,” CMA Chief Executive Sarah Cardell said in the press release.
Ministers will decide on exactly what approach the government will take by March 18.
Google’s response to the matter was tepid. Ron Eden, the company’s principal for product management, said the goal with AI overviews is to help people gather “information quickly,” while “also giving websites the right tools to manage their content.” However, he cautions against new controls that might result in a “fragmented or confusing” experience.
“We’re optimistic we can find a path forward that provides even more choice to website owners and publishers, while ensuring people continue to get the most helpful and innovative search experience possible,” he said.
The news will be music to the ears of Britain’s publishers and content providers in what has become a battle between them and U.S. Big Tech. The U.K.’s Daily Mail alone, a website with roughly 4 million daily visitors, has reported that since Google introduced Overview, its traffic has fallen by about 50%.
Photo: Unsplash
Support our mission to keep content open and free by engaging with theCUBE community. Join theCUBE’s Alumni Trust Network, where technology leaders connect, share intelligence and create opportunities.
- 15M+ viewers of theCUBE videos, powering conversations across AI, cloud, cybersecurity and more
- 11.4k+ theCUBE alumni — Connect with more than 11,400 tech and business leaders shaping the future through a unique trusted-based network.
About News Media
Founded by tech visionaries John Furrier and Dave Vellante, News Media has built a dynamic ecosystem of industry-leading digital media brands that reach 15+ million elite tech professionals. Our new proprietary theCUBE AI Video Cloud is breaking ground in audience interaction, leveraging theCUBEai.com neural network to help technology companies make data-driven decisions and stay at the forefront of industry conversations.
