Google warns against 'breaking Search,' as pressure mounts over web future

"Google saidits Search engine could break if the company is forced to implement strict new controls to protect and nurture web content in the AI era. The warning came after UK antitrust regulators proposed new rules for Google Search that would give publishers more control over how their content is used in AI features such as Google's AI Overviews and AI Mode. In response, Google said it is working on new ways to give websitesmore control over how AI chatbots and AI-powered answer engines access and use online content."

"'We're now exploring updates to our controls to let sites specifically opt out of Search generative AI features,' Google said on Wednesday in a blog post. That's a major concession from Google, which has been quietly but firmly pushing back against such demands. Yet, the tech giant also warned that strict new controls could threaten its prized Search engine, which generates most of the company's profits."

"'Any new controls need to avoid breaking Search in a way that leads to a fragmented or confusing experience for people,' the company said, arguing that search and AI are now deeply intertwined. Google says AI has been core to how Search works for more than a decade, helping rank results and surface relevant links. Creating sharp opt-outs for generative AI features, Google suggests, could undermine the basic mechanics that allow people to find information quickly and allow websites to be discovered at scale."

Google announced plans to let websites opt out of Search generative AI features while developing controls for how AI chatbots and answer engines access content. UK antitrust regulators proposed rules to grant publishers more control over AI uses like AI Overviews and AI Mode. Google cautioned that strict opt-outs could fragment or confuse Search and threaten core mechanics that rely on AI for ranking and surfacing links. Publishers seek ways to block AI crawling yet preserve traditional indexing and discovery. Cloudflare CEO Matthew Prince says additional measures are needed to force separation between AI and search crawls.

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