Search Engine Roundtable reported that Google is starting to extend its new Search Console “Search Generative AI” controls to sites outside the United Kingdom — and if you’ve been tracking Google’s AI rollout pattern this year, this one probably isn’t a shock either. The feature launched about a month earlier for UK-based (.co.uk) sites, but it’s now popping up on some — not all — sites based in the US and other countries.
What the Rollout Looks Like So Far
The sighting first surfaced on LinkedIn, where several SEOs reported spotting the setting on non-UK properties. A handful of US-based accounts noticed it appearing on some sites but not others within the same Search Console login, which suggests Google is testing this in phases rather than flipping it on universally.
The control itself sits under Settings in Search Console. Where it’s live, site owners can choose whether to include or exclude their content from Google’s generative AI search features — AI Overviews, AI Mode, and AI Overviews in Discover.
Access to the related AI performance reports (which show impressions from these AI features) is also expanding beyond the UK in a similar staggered rollout.
Why This Matters for Your SEO Strategy
This rollout is worth watching closely for a few reasons:
- You may not have access yet — check anyway. Because the rollout is inconsistent even among sites in eligible regions, it’s worth checking Search Console settings periodically rather than assuming the feature isn’t available.
- It’s a visibility and reporting tool, not a ranking lever. Toggling this control off doesn’t affect regular organic search rankings — it only governs whether your content can be used to ground AI-generated answers.
- More data is coming. As access to the AI performance reports widens, businesses will get clearer visibility into how often (and where) their pages are being surfaced inside AI Overviews and AI Mode — data that’s been largely invisible until now.
- This is part of a bigger pattern. Google has been steadily building out AI-specific controls and reporting since the UK’s Competition and Markets Authority required it earlier this year. Expect more of Search Console’s toolset to get an “AI” layer over the coming months.
For now, the practical move is simple: check your Search Console settings, see if the control has appeared for your properties, and if it has, take a look at what the AI performance data is telling you before deciding whether to opt in or out.
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