I feel like the internet took a deep breath. For years, critics have accused Google of quietly running the news feed around the world, and now in the UK Competition and Markets Authority steps in to demand that the tech giant soften its dominance over online search and advertising.
The move described in recent report on regulatory reform and digital competitioncould force Google to share more data, open its advertising systems to competition and stop favoring its own services in results.
This type of ruling could have a reach far beyond the UK and change the way billions of searches are carried out every day.
There is tension behind the polite legal phrasing. Smaller companies say they have been blocked by Google's algorithms for years – their ads are priced, their content is buried, and their analytical data is locked in black boxes.
Regulators have suggested that the era of self-policing may be over. Some experts in the investigation even suggest that the CMA's decision may constitute a “template” for the future EU-level crackdown on digital monopolieswhich reflects recent debates about the place of artificial intelligence in search engines.
These debates are already coming to light new insights into how artificial intelligence is changing Google's ranking model and user behaviorwhich shows that the line between advertising, responses and algorithms is blurrier than ever.
While regulators tighten the screws, the industry struggles to adapt.
In Spain, law firms have started to move away from traditional SEO strategies in favor of the so-called GEO – Generative Engine Optimization — the practice of optimizing content for responses generated by artificial intelligence.
It's not just about ranking anymore; it's about being reference in AI summaries. One story from the legal sector describes how companies are currently struggling to appear in the AI-generated responses that customers see first – a struggle clearly captured in report on GEO growth in professional services.
This change has marketers everywhere asking the same question: If AI answers most queries directly, where does that drive website traffic?
It is estimated that such a study is circulating in digital circles as many as 94 percent of AI-powered searches never result in a click — users simply read the AI summary and move on.
This is a staggering number and raises fears that visibility itself is disappearing.
In a candid interview, one strategist called it the “internet ghost town effect,” a phrase he captured poignantly analysis of zero-click search patterns.
Interestingly, this regulatory moment also coincides with Europe's greater technological ambitions.
Brussels recently committed €1 billion initiative to strengthen artificial intelligence development and reduce dependence on US technology ecosystemswhich points to growing concerns about the concentration of digital power.
As stated in covering the new European Sovereignty Plan “Apply Artificial Intelligence”.the program highlights a deeper political goal — to prevent any one company, even Google, from taking over the future of search and artificial intelligence.
Maybe it's just me, but the whole story feels like déjà vu with a twist. Regulators missed their chance when social media monopolies took over; now they are trying to catch the AI and conduct the search before it is too late.
Whether this new push will actually rebalance the web or simply prompt Google to rebrand its control is anyone's guess.
But for the first time in years, it seems like the walls around the exploration empire are starting to crack and some sunlight is finally breaking through.
