Google has introduced a new control in Google Search Console that lets website owners decide whether their content can appear in AI Overviews, AI Mode, and AI Overviews in Discover. This setting gives publishers more control over how Google uses their content in generative AI experiences while ensuring that traditional organic search rankings remain unaffected.

If you choose to opt out, your website can still appear in regular Google Search results, but it will no longer be used in Google’s AI-generated responses.

What Is the New AI Overview Control?

The new Search Generative AI setting is available within Google Search Console.

It allows site owners to control whether their content can be used in Google’s generative search experiences, including:

• AI Overviews
• AI Mode
• AI Overviews in Discover

Unlike previous controls such as Google-Extended or nosnippet, this option specifically targets Google’s AI-powered search experiences without affecting your standard search visibility.

What Happens When You Opt Out?

When you disable Google’s AI usage for your website:

• Your pages are excluded from AI Overviews.
• AI Mode will not use your content to generate answers.
• AI-generated summaries in Discover will not include your pages.
• Your traditional Google Search rankings remain unchanged.
• Your Discover visibility also remains unaffected.

In other words, opting out removes your content from Google’s generative AI features while preserving your presence in standard search results.

Opted In vs. Opted Out

Feature	Opted In	Opted Out
AI Overviews	Content may appear	Excluded
AI Mode	Used to generate answers	Excluded
AI Overviews in Discover	Eligible	Excluded
Traditional Google Search	Unchanged	Unchanged
Discover Feed	Unchanged	Unchanged
Search Rankings	No impact	No impact

This separation allows publishers to participate in traditional search without contributing content to Google’s AI-generated experiences.

Does Opting Out Affect SEO?

No.

Google has clearly stated that opting out of generative AI is not a ranking signal.

That means:

• Your organic rankings stay the same.
• Your indexed pages remain searchable.
• Your website continues appearing in regular Google Search.
• Existing SEO efforts are not negatively affected.

However, your content will no longer be cited or summarized in Google’s AI-generated answers.

Although opting out doesn’t impact your traditional Google Search rankings, it does affect how your website appears in Google’s generative AI experiences. If you’re curious about how to monitor your AI visibility, read our guide on Google Search Console Generative AI Performance Report, which explains how to track impressions and visibility in AI Overviews and AI Mode.

Four Key Things to Know Before Opting Out

1. You’ll Lose AI Visibility

After opting out, your content won’t appear in AI Overviews or AI Mode. Users relying on AI-generated summaries may no longer discover your website through those experiences.

2. Google Will Still Show AI Answers

Opting out doesn’t disable AI Overviews for users.

Google will continue generating AI answers—it will simply rely on other eligible sources instead of your content.

3. Premium Publishers Gain More Control

For publishers offering subscription content, proprietary research, or premium journalism, opting out can help prevent Google from summarizing valuable content directly in AI responses without sending visitors to the website.

4. This Is Different from Google-Extended

Many website owners confuse these controls.

Here’s the difference:

Feature	Purpose
Google-Extended	Controls AI training for Gemini models
nosnippet	Prevents snippets in both Search and AI
Search Console AI Toggle	Only blocks Google’s AI search experiences while keeping regular search snippets intact

Each serves a different purpose and affects content visibility in different ways.

Who Should Consider Opting Out?

Opting out may be a good choice if you:

• Publish paid research reports
• Operate a subscription-based website
• Want to protect proprietary content
• Prefer not to have your work summarized by Google’s AI

Who Should Stay Opted In?

Remaining opted in may benefit websites that:

• Depend on organic visibility
• Publish educational content
• Want additional exposure through AI Overviews
• Focus on brand awareness and traffic growth

Since AI-generated answers often include citations, staying opted in may help increase brand visibility for some publishers.

Frequently Asked Questions

Does opting out remove my website from Google Search?

No. Your website continues to appear in traditional Google Search results. Only Google’s AI-generated experiences stop using your content.

Does opting out hurt SEO?

No. Google has confirmed that this setting does not affect traditional search rankings.

Will ChatGPT or Perplexity stop using my content?

No. The Search Console AI control only affects Google’s own AI experiences. Other AI platforms have their own crawling and content usage policies.

Can AI Overviews still appear for users?

Yes. Google will continue showing AI-generated responses. Your content simply won’t be used if you’ve opted out.

Key Takeaways

• Google Search Console now provides a dedicated AI control for publishers.
• Opting out removes your content from AI Overviews, AI Mode, and AI-generated Discover summaries.
• Traditional Google Search rankings remain unaffected.
• Premium publishers may prefer opting out to protect proprietary content.
• Businesses seeking greater AI visibility may choose to remain opted in.

Final Thoughts

Google’s new AI Overview control represents an important shift in how publishers manage their content in the age of generative AI. Instead of choosing between participating in search or not, website owners can now decide whether their content should appear in Google’s AI-powered experiences while maintaining their traditional search presence.

The right decision depends on your goals. If AI visibility and brand discovery are priorities, remaining opted in may offer broader reach. If protecting premium content is more important, opting out provides greater control without sacrificing your organic rankings.