Reviewed by Irfan Ahmad.
The UK Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) has introduced two new conduct requirements for Google’s search services, including rules that apply to AI Overviews, according to a CMA announcement published on June 17.
Under the new Fair Ranking requirement, Google must rank organic search results using objective and non-discriminatory criteria, including within AI Overviews. Sponsored results are not covered by the measure. The CMA said businesses had raised concerns about a lack of transparency in ranking practices, changes made without sufficient notice, and ineffective ways to raise concerns when those changes affected their businesses.
Google will also be required to provide greater transparency about ranking practices, give advance notice of significant changes, and establish processes for businesses to raise concerns.
The measures follow CMA action earlier this month that gave publishers tools to control whether their content is used in Google’s AI features. Google has six months to implement the fair ranking requirement.
A Google spokesperson told Press Gazette: “Our ranking systems are fair, transparent and show the most relevant, highest quality results. We are committed to protecting the integrity of our systems, and will work constructively with the CMA to ensure that we can uphold the high quality of Search for our users.”
The CMA announcement did not cite specific examples involving AI Overviews. However, questions about how AI-generated search summaries handle complex topics have drawn attention in recent months. In a separate investigation published by Digital Information World in May 2026, AI Overviews were observed producing different answers to a religious leadership question depending on how searches were phrased. The report documented instances in which AI-generated summaries presented varying interpretations of a topic that scholars interviewed for the article said lacks a universally accepted contemporary answer.
Image: BoliviaInteligente - Unsplash
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The UK Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) has introduced two new conduct requirements for Google’s search services, including rules that apply to AI Overviews, according to a CMA announcement published on June 17.
Under the new Fair Ranking requirement, Google must rank organic search results using objective and non-discriminatory criteria, including within AI Overviews. Sponsored results are not covered by the measure. The CMA said businesses had raised concerns about a lack of transparency in ranking practices, changes made without sufficient notice, and ineffective ways to raise concerns when those changes affected their businesses.
Google will also be required to provide greater transparency about ranking practices, give advance notice of significant changes, and establish processes for businesses to raise concerns.
The measures follow CMA action earlier this month that gave publishers tools to control whether their content is used in Google’s AI features. Google has six months to implement the fair ranking requirement.
A Google spokesperson told Press Gazette: “Our ranking systems are fair, transparent and show the most relevant, highest quality results. We are committed to protecting the integrity of our systems, and will work constructively with the CMA to ensure that we can uphold the high quality of Search for our users.”
The CMA announcement did not cite specific examples involving AI Overviews. However, questions about how AI-generated search summaries handle complex topics have drawn attention in recent months. In a separate investigation published by Digital Information World in May 2026, AI Overviews were observed producing different answers to a religious leadership question depending on how searches were phrased. The report documented instances in which AI-generated summaries presented varying interpretations of a topic that scholars interviewed for the article said lacks a universally accepted contemporary answer.
Read next:
• 65 armed conflicts involving states recorded worldwide in 2025, according to Uppsala Conflict Data Program
• How to fight human trafficking and online scams
