EU Examines Google's AI Opt-Out Feature for Publishers

The European Commission has been investigating whether Google's AI opt-out feature gives publishers meaningful control over their content. In June, Google introduced an option for publishers to opt out of its AI search features without affecting their ordinary search rankings.

Publishers have expressed concerns that if they opt out, they may lose traffic and visibility on the part of the search page that users increasingly see first. The Commission sent a questionnaire to publishers in July to gather information about their plans for using the opt-out feature.

The question of whether publishers can realistically use the opt-out without losing traffic is central to the whole exercise. If they cannot, then the existence of an opt-out does not necessarily give them much control over how Google uses their content.