The search engine responded to the new digital rules proposed by the UK competition authority. Among the statements is that a control will be introduced in the future to ensure that web publishers can exclude their content from the generative AI features in Search.

Highlights:

  • Google published an official response to the regulatory proposals suggested by the UK Competition and Markets Authority (CMA), stating that it supports fairness and choice objectives for publishers.
  • The company expressed that it has developed an option to specifically exclude websites from generative AI features in Search, such as AI General Views.
  • Regarding default options, Google opposes recurring selection screens and instead suggests offering a permanent switch in the settings of Android devices.
  • Google claims that its ranking systems do not favor its own services and states that this position is supported by the CMA's own analyses.

CMA is pushing Google to open up its systems further

In a context where digital regulation is in the construction phase in the UK, the CMA has made proposals to bring new rules to major digital platforms and has identified three main objectives:

  • Ensuring fairness in search results,
  • Facilitating users' choice of services,
  • Giving publishers more control over the use of their content.

On March 18, 2026, Google published a post on its official blog, The Keyword, detailing its stance on each of these points. Although the Mountain View giant claims to support the CMA's overall goals, it questions some conditions and presents its own proposals.

Exit option from generative AI is being developed

This is one of the most significant pieces of news for web professionals. Google announced that it has developed new controls that will allow website owners to exclude their content from generative AI features in Search, particularly AI General Views; these blocks appear at the top of the results pages (except in France).

So far, publishers had some tools to limit Google's robots from using their content. However, there was no mechanism to definitively exclude their pages from AI-generated results, which allowed them to remain in the classic index. This distinction is important: many publishers see that their content feeds AI responses but do not gain traffic, and this directly affects their business models.

Google also states that AI General Views make links to sources more visible and presents this feature as a leverage for content discovery, not a threat to publishers. The upcoming exit option will complement this approach by leaving the final choice to site owners.

Google defends its current practices in search results

On the issue of fairness in results, Google argues that its ranking algorithms do not favor its own products. The company relies on the CMA's own analyses to support this claim. It states that some suggestions from third parties are baseless and that these suggestions could make their systems susceptible to manipulation and weaken anti-spam efforts, which could have negative consequences for UK users.

Android: A switch instead of recurring screens

The CMA also considered enforcing the regular display of default search engine selection screens on Android devices, beyond what was initially proposed. Google is firmly opposed to this and argues that these recurring interruptions are not welcomed by users.

Its alternative proposal: To add an option in the form of a switch accessible in device settings, allowing users to change their default search engine whenever they want without unnecessary interruptions. The company reminds that selection screens are already shown during the setup of new Android devices.

Google states that it wants to continue working constructively with the CMA to find concrete solutions in line with the interests of users, publishers, and UK companies.