Daily Mail owner DMG calls for crackdown on Google AI after traffic tanks

DMG Media, owner of the Daily Mail, has urged the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) to regulate Google’s AI, claiming search traffic has plummeted by up to 89% due to new AI overviews. These overviews, featuring AI-generated answers at the top of search results, significantly decreased the click-through rate from 25.2% to 2.8%.

The publisher highlights that Google’s practices are harming web publishers and favors links to YouTube. DMG requested that the CMA investigate Google’s Gemini chatbot as well. Google responded by stating that the CMA's actions create uncertainty for its UK operations. The CMA is considering designating Google’s search and AI features with strategic market status, which could enforce changes for publishers.