Regulation Market: EU Probes Publisher Opt-Outs from Google AI Overviews

The European Commission is investigating whether publishers are actually using Google's opt-out for AI Overviews in search results. The opt-out, completed on August 31, was introduced following a UK CMA announcement in June. The EU's antitrust regulators sent a questionnaire to publishers in July, which closed on August 28, asking about their usage of the opt-out and factors influencing their decision. This is part of a broader investigation into Google's use of online content for AI, launched in December 2025, to determine if Google imposes unfair terms on publishers and disadvantages rival AI models. Publisher feedback could determine the outcome of the investigation.