On January 29 (local time), news emerged indicating that the UK's antitrust watchdog is gearing up to introduce new regulations. These regulations are designed to empower publishers with greater control over the utilization of their content within Google's generative AI search capabilities.

In response, Google announced that it is in the process of developing novel control mechanisms. These mechanisms will enable websites to choose not to participate in the generative AI features incorporated into search, a move widely regarded as a substantial concession on Google's part.

Nevertheless, Google also raised a cautionary note, emphasizing that excessively stringent rules could pose a significant threat to its search business. Google holds the view that search and AI are deeply intertwined, making it challenging to disentangle them. Establishing opt-out boundaries for generative AI, according to Google, could potentially compromise its fundamental operational mechanisms. This, in turn, might lead to adverse consequences, such as a deterioration in search quality.