Google Adds One-Click AI Search Opt-Out in UK

Google’s AI Overviews use generative artificial intelligence to summarize information directly on search pages, raising concern among publishers that fewer users will click through to original sources. Britain’s Competition and Markets Authority has pressed Google to give content providers a separate way to withhold material from AI-generated answers without sacrificing eligibility or visibility in conventional search results.

Google said in August 2026 that it would add a domain-level control to Search Console, allowing website operators to opt out of AI-generated search features with a single action while retaining their traditional SEO standing. The initial test will begin in the UK, addressing CMA demands for greater publisher control as regulators examine Google’s influence over online discovery, referral traffic and the economics of digital publishing.