Google Tests AI Search Console Reports, UK Forces Opt-Out Rights, and May Core Update Lands

Three things happened this week that matter if you care about how your site performs in Google. AI search visibility is finally getting its own reporting tools, UK publishers now have a legal right to opt out of AI features, and the May 2026 core update wrapped up after a bumpy 11-day rollout.

Key takeaways

• Google is testing AI search performance reports in Search Console, rolling out to a subset of UK websites first, but click data is not yet included.
• A toggle is also being tested that lets you control whether your site appears in Google's AI Overviews and AI Mode.
• The UK's Competition and Markets Authority has legally required Google to give publishers the ability to opt out of AI features without losing their standard search rankings, with nine months to comply.
• The May 2026 core update finished on 2 June after 11 days, and some sites regained organic rankings while simultaneously losing visibility in AI-generated answers.
• Google's new Search Profiles feature requires at least 100,000 followers on YouTube, Instagram, or X (or 300,000 on TikTok), and is currently only available in the United States.

Google Adds AI Search Reports to Search Console

Google is testing two new Search Console features aimed squarely at AI search visibility. The first is a dedicated performance report showing how your URLs appear inside AI features across Search and Discover. The second is a toggle that lets you control whether your site appears in AI Overviews and AI Mode at all.

The reports cover impressions, pages, countries, devices, and dates, with hourly granularity. What they do not include is click data. Google says it's working with website owners to decide which metrics to add next.

Both features are rolling out to a subset of UK websites first.

Up to now, any AI-driven visibility was folded into standard Search Console data with no way to separate it out. These reports give you a dedicated view of which pages appeared inside AI answers, and where in the world that happened.

But the missing click data is a real gap. Impressions tell you your page showed up; they don't tell you whether anyone actually visited your site as a result. That's been the central unanswered question in AI search measurement for over a year, and this launch doesn't close it yet.

Glenn Gabe, President of G-Squared Interactive, put it plainly on LinkedIn: "AI reporting coming to GSC! Awesome! No click data. NOT Awesome."

UK Regulator Forces Google to Let Publishers Opt Out

The UK's Competition and Markets Authority has imposed a conduct requirement on Google under its digital markets regime. The headline: publishers will be able to opt out of having their content used in AI search features, and doing so won't affect their position in standard search results.

Google must also let publishers opt out of their content being used to train AI models. They have nine months to comply.

This is the first time a regulator has required the separation of AI-feature participation from standard search indexing. Before this, the only way to opt out of AI features was a method that also removed you from standard search snippets, not a realistic option for most publishers.

If you're a UK publisher thinking about your options here, our website maintenance team can help you stay on top of changes like these as they become available in Search Console.

May 2026 Core Update: What Happened

Google's May 2026 core update finished rolling out on 2 June, having taken 11 days in total. Third-party tracking tools showed elevated volatility at several points during the rollout.

This is the fourth confirmed entry on Google's Search Status Dashboard so far this year, which works out to roughly one confirmed ranking-related event every six weeks.

Google's own guidance is to wait at least a week after a major update finishes before analysing your data, so if you're trying to read the results, now is the right time to start.

That split matters. If you're only watching your standard organic positions, you could be missing half the picture. Both surfaces need to be checked separately.

For help keeping your site in good shape between updates, take a look at our SEO services.

Google Search Profiles: Big Creators Only, US Only for Now

Google has launched Search Profiles, a customisable page that pulls together a creator's YouTube channels, social accounts, and links in one place on Google Search.

Eligibility is strict. Creators need at least 100,000 followers on YouTube, Instagram, or X. TikTok requires 300,000. The feature is currently available only in the United States.

Claiming a profile can trigger the creation of a knowledge panel or enhance an existing one. When someone follows a publisher through their Search Profile, they may also see more of that publisher's content in Discover.

The 100K follower threshold puts this firmly out of reach for most independent creators and small publishers at launch, at least for now.

The Bigger Picture: AI Search Is Getting Its Infrastructure

For more than a year, two questions have hung over AI search for anyone running a website. How do you know if you're appearing in AI answers, and can you do anything about it if you don't want to?

This week moved both questions closer to having real answers. Google started rolling out dedicated AI performance reports and testing an opt-out toggle in Search Console. The UK CMA imposed a legal obligation on Google to honour publisher opt-outs. The infrastructure for managing your AI search presence has started shifting from concept to reality, even if the tools are still limited and click data remains absent.

The direction of travel is clear. AI search visibility is becoming a measurable, and in some cases controllable, part of how your site performs online. Keep an eye on your Search Console over the coming weeks.