Saying No to Generative AI? Google Allows Websites to Decide Independently Whether to Participate in AI Search

Google announced in an official blog post that it has begun testing a new control feature. This feature will give website owners more autonomy, allowing them to manage how their content is presented in generative AI search results.

This new feature has been initially launched for some website owners in the UK. Google stated that it is crucial to maintain communication with regulatory bodies such as the UK's Competition and Markets Authority and conduct thorough testing before rolling out the feature globally.

New Opt-Out Switch

To enable this management, Google will introduce a new opt-out switch in its existing website management tools. With this switch, website owners can decide independently whether their sites appear in Google's generative AI search features.

These features include the highly anticipated AI Overviews and AI-powered streams. In addition, website owners can also decide whether their content is used to help generate related AI responses.

Independent of Regular Search

Notably, even if website owners choose to opt out of generative AI search, it will not negatively affect their site's regular search visibility. Google emphasized that this control feature will not be used as a signal for regular search rankings.

According to follow-up reports from relevant media, this new setting applies only to the aforementioned Google Search products. The independent AI assistant application Gemini that users commonly use is excluded and not affected by this switch.

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