U.K. Competition Watchdog Plans New Rules for Google's AI Overviews Under Tech Law — 2nd Update

By Edith Hancock

The U.K.'s competition watchdog said it is seeking feedback on a pack of measures Alphabet's Google would need to implement under the country's new digital-competition rules.

The Competition and Markets Authority said Wednesday that, under its plans, Google might have to provide publishers with more choice and transparency over how their content is used in the search giant's AI Overviews, the company's artificial-intelligence feature which produces AI-generated summaries of search results. That could mean allowing publishers to stop their content being used to power AI features such as AI Overviews or to train AI models outside of Google search, and making sure that publishers' content is properly cited in AI results.

It is the latest step as the CMA starts enforcing the Digital Markets, Competition, and Consumer bill; a relatively new U.K. law intended to curb the market power of dominant tech firms. Google became one of the first companies to get tighter regulation under the law owing to its strategic position in the digital economy.

Groups like Google are classified as having strategic status under the law due to their ownership of key routes to market like mobile operating systems and search engines. Once designated, the CMA has the power to draw up a tailored set of obligations for them to follow.

"Today is an important milestone as we consult on the first conduct requirements under the digital markets competition regime in the UK," Sarah Cardell, the CMA's chief executive, said in a statement.

The regulator said that Google might also be required to demonstrate how it ranks content fairly in search results, and be legally required to show people using Android devices with choice screens so they can select their own default apps. The CMA has also proposed required Google to make it easier for people to use its search data.

The regulator set a Feb. 25 deadline to receive feedback on its proposed measures.

"Our goal is to protect the helpfulness of Search for people who want information quickly, while also giving websites the right tools to manage their content," Ron Eden, Google's principal for product management, said. "We look forward to engaging in the CMA's process and will continue discussions with website owners and other stakeholders on this topic."

Google has for years been a target of antitrust regulators globally. The European Union in December started investigating whether the company breached competition rules in how it uses content published online to feed its AI Overviews.

Write to Edith Hancock at edith.hancock@wsj.com

Corrections & Amplifications

This article was corrected on June 3, 2026 to clarify that the EU started investigating last year whether Google breached competition rules in how it uses content published online to feed its AI Overviews. An earlier article incorrectly said EU officials started investigating how Google uses content published online to feed its AI Overviews under the Digital Markets Act.

(END) Dow Jones Newswires

January 28, 2026 07:57 ET (12:57 GMT)