Report from MediaPost
In Brief – Google has outlined plans to give publishers more authority over how their content appears in AI-driven search features in response to the consultation by the UK Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) regarding application of the country’s digital competition rules to the company’s search service. In a blog post, Google emphasized its commitment to fairness, user experience, and publisher control across its platforms, including tools that would allow sites to opt out of generative AI uses in Search. The company reiterated that its search ranking systems prioritize relevance and quality, not preferential treatment of its own services, a point previously acknowledged by the CMA, and warned that some regulatory proposals could increase risks of manipulation, spam, and system abuse that could harm users. The search giant also defended AI-enabled features like AI Overviews, saying they enhance visibility of source links and help users discover valuable content, and argued that restrictive regulatory rules could stifle innovations in the market. The CMA is reviewing the stakeholder submissions and is expected to issue a final decision this year.
Context – The chatbot-search convergence is underway and it’s going to be bumpy, especially for Google. The European Commission has initiated an antitrust investigation of how Google uses content from publishers to provide AI answers to search queries without allowing websites to freely refuse to participate. The Commission has also initiated a six-month negotiation to work with Google on Digital Markets Act compliance rules to allow competitor chatbots to work effectively on Android devices. Google has consistently responded to website concerns about AI-enabled search by claiming that better responses to search queries leads to more searches and more traffic overall. The company also argues that AI chatbots, such as market-leading ChatGPT, are being used like search, a key point in the US Google Search antitrust trial. Web businesses with ad-based revenue models should be thinking about which AI company is most likely to build an ad-friendly AI ecosystem.