UK CMA Wants AI Assistants on Google's Choice Screens
TL;DR
- CMA deleted the 'core and central' marketing criterion that previously barred AI-native tools from search choice screens, explicitly broadening eligibility.
- The 5+7 slot mechanism (five most-popular providers plus seven randomly selected) gives smaller AI challengers screen access independent of traffic rankings.
- Google's May 2026 Gemini 3.5 Flash redesign, which blurred the search/AI boundary, directly forced the CMA to reopen and expand its January proposal.
Britain's Competition and Markets Authority proposed on September 23 that Google present Android and Chrome users with a search-engine choice screen the first time they set up the device or open the browser, and prompt them again once a year to pick a default, Engadget reported.
AI assistants belong on that screen too. Products such as ChatGPT and Perplexity, which today have no slot on the Android or Chrome default surface where Gemini sits, would qualify if they meet the regulator's technical and security criteria. A third proposal requires providers on the screen to clearly credit and link back to publisher content.
"The way people search for information online is changing, with new services creating fresh opportunities" for innovation and competition, said Sarah Cardell, the CMA's chief executive.
The consultation runs until October 9, with a final decision expected by year-end. The package sits on top of the strategic market status the CMA handed Google search in October 2025, and stacks with earlier steps this year: on June 3 publishers gained the ability to opt out of AI results, and on June 17 fair-ranking and data-portability requirements took effect. Google's Gemini currently ships tightly integrated with Google Search, with no alternative on any choice screen.
This is one of a run of regulator moves we have been tracking in our regulation feed, and the first that treats an AI assistant as a substitute good the OS distributor has to offer alternatives to.
What others are reporting
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PPC Land Read →
Most granular breakdown: the 5+7 slot mechanism, deletion of the 'core and central' criterion, £5-20M cost estimate, and Gemini 3.5 Flash redesign as the trigger for reopening the January proposal.
"The line between 'AI-based services' and other types of search service is increasingly blurred," the CMA wrote regarding eligibility criteria.
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ResultSense Read →
Flags that eligibility criteria are still unfinalized, consultation closes October 9, so no AI assistant has an automatic slot and the CMA retains full gatekeeping authority.
"People are increasingly using AI assistants to search, yet those tools are missing from Google's screens." (Sarah Cardell, CMA chief executive)
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Android Headlines Read →
Focuses on the annual re-prompt mechanism and publisher attribution requirement, framing both as user-behavior and content-ecosystem impacts beyond regulatory procedure.
"The way people hunt for answers online is shifting fast...conversational AI tools as primary search engines." (Sarah Cardell, CMA Chief Executive)
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AndroidPure Read →
Frames yearly re-prompting as the mechanism most likely to shift actual user defaults, with AI assistants appearing alongside traditional search engines as the competitive signal.
"The way people search for information online is changing, with new services creating fresh opportunities for innovation and competition." (Sarah Cardell)
Originally reported by engadget.com
Read the original article →Original headline: UK CMA Proposes Rules Forcing Google to Offer Rival AI Assistants and Search Choice on Android