Google May Let Sites Opt Out Of AI Search Features via @sejournal, @MattGSouthern

Google says it’s exploring updates that could let websites opt out of AI-powered search features specifically.

The blog post came the same day the UK’s Competition and Markets Authority opened a consultation on potential new requirements for Google Search, including controls for websites to manage their content in Search AI features.

Ron Eden, Principal, Product Management at Google, wrote:

“Building on this framework, and working with the web ecosystem, we’re now exploring updates to our controls to let sites specifically opt out of Search generative AI features.”

Google provided no timeline, technical specifications, or firm commitment. The post frames this as exploration, not a product roadmap.

What’s New

Google currently offers several controls for how content appears in Search, but none cleanly separate AI features from traditional results.

Google-Extended lets publishers block their content from training Gemini and Vertex AI models. But Google’s documentation states Google-Extended doesn’t impact inclusion in Google Search and isn’t a ranking signal. It controls AI training, not AI Overviews appearance.

The nosnippet and max-snippet directives do apply to AI Overviews and AI Mode. But they also affect traditional snippets in regular search results. Publishers wanting to limit AI feature exposure currently lose snippet visibility everywhere.

Google’s post acknowledges this gap exists. Eden wrote:

“Any new controls need to avoid breaking Search in a way that leads to a fragmented or confusing experience for people.”

Why This Matters

I wrote in SEJ’s SEO Trends 2026 ebook that people would have more influence on the direction of search than platforms do. Google’s post suggests that dynamic is playing out.

Publishers and regulators have spent the past year pushing back on AI Overviews. The UK’s Independent Publishers Alliance, Foxglove, and Movement for an Open Web filed a complaint with the CMA last July, asking for the ability to opt out of AI summaries without being removed from search entirely. The US Department of Justice and South African Competition Commission have proposed similar measures.

The BuzzStream study we covered earlier this month found 79% of top news publishers block at least one AI training bot, and 71% block retrieval bots that affect AI citations. Publishers are already voting with their robots.txt files.

Google’s post suggests it’s responding to pressure from the ecosystem by exploring controls it previously didn’t offer.

Looking Ahead

Google’s language is cautious. “Exploring” and “working with the web ecosystem” are not product commitments.

The CMA consultation will gather input on potential requirements. Regulatory processes move slowly, but they do produce outcomes. The EU’s Digital Markets Act investigations have already pushed Google to make changes in Europe.

For now, publishers wanting to limit AI feature exposure can use nosnippet or max-snippet directives, but note that these affect traditional snippets as well. Google’s robots meta tag documentation covers the current options.

If Google follows through on specific opt-out controls, the technical implementation will matter. Whether it’s a new robots directive, a Search Console setting, or something else will determine how practical it is for publishers to use.

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