AI & Search

Google's relationship with the publisher ecosystem grew more fraught this week as the company rolled out an opt-out mechanism for AI search indexing — but declined to provide the traffic attribution data that would allow publishers to make an informed choice about whether to use it. Search Engine Journal's coverage framed this as a classic information asymmetry problem: Google holds all the data on how AI Overviews are affecting referral traffic, and publishers are being asked to make consequential business decisions blind. Separately, Google issued updated guidance asserting authority over SEO tools and the emerging AEO (Answer Engine Optimization) and GEO (Generative Engine Optimization) disciplines, while also directing webmasters to file FTC complaints against 'shady SEOs' — a move that positions Google as both regulator and referee in a market it dominates. The Future of Privacy Forum's EU AI Act compliance roadmap for AdTech vendors added a regulatory dimension, reminding the industry that AI-driven ad targeting and optimization tools face meaningful compliance obligations in Europe starting this year.