CMA wants AI assistants on Google's choice screens

What the CMA proposed

The Competition and Markets Authority published strengthened proposals on 23 September 2026 to give Google Android and Google Chrome customers in the UK greater choice and control over the search services they use. The centrepiece is a choice screen. A choice screen is a prompt that appears when someone sets up a device or opens a browser for the first time, asking which search service should be the default. Under the proposals, Google would be required to give Android and Chrome customers a choice of search services when they first use an Android phone or open Chrome. That would be followed by a prompt every year to choose their default provider, so the decision is not locked in at setup and can be revisited as services change.

The proposals also cover what happens after a person picks a provider. Search providers featured on choice screens would have to fairly attribute publisher content when used, so people can easily access source content and know where their search results came from. The CMA said the updated proposals reflect rapid developments in how people search, including growing use of services such as ChatGPT and Perplexity, and feedback from publishers, search providers and consumer groups. The consultation is open until 9 October 2026, and the CMA expects to reach a final decision on the conduct requirement by the end of the year. For a general UK consumer, the practical effect would be a more visible moment of choice on a new phone or a fresh Chrome install, and a recurring reminder that the default can be changed.

Why AI assistants are now in scope

The CMA said the way people search for information online is changing, and that it is responding quickly to the rise of AI assistants which people increasingly use as their search service but which are not included on Google's choice screens. That is the reasoning behind adding AI assistants to the list of services that could appear. The proposals would allow AI assistants to be included on choice screens where they meet relevant criteria, including technical and security requirements. The named examples in the CMA's reasoning are services such as ChatGPT and Perplexity, which are used by consumers as a way to find information rather than as a separate category of tool.

Sarah Cardell, Chief Executive of the CMA, said the way people search for information online is changing, that the CMA is responding quickly to the rise of AI assistants which people increasingly use as their search service but which are not included on Google's choice screens, and that this is about future-proofing the options available to people in the UK. The technical and security criteria matter because a choice screen is only useful if the services on it work reliably and protect users. For a consumer, the change would mean that an AI assistant could sit alongside familiar search brands at the moment of setup, rather than being something discovered later. The CMA is inviting views on the updated proposals by 9 October 2026 before reaching a final decision on the conduct requirement.

The attribution requirement

The proposals would require search providers featured on choice screens to fairly attribute publisher content when used, so people can easily access source content and know where their search results came from. Attribution is the practice of crediting the publisher whose material has been used. In a search result, that might mean a clear link back to the original article or page. In an AI answer, it means showing which source the answer drew on, so the reader can check it. The CMA's requirement is that this is done fairly and accurately, and that users can reach and identify the source rather than being left with an answer and no route back to where the facts came from.

This matters to anyone relying on an AI answer for a factual question. If an assistant summarises a news report, a health page or a consumer guide, the reader needs to know which publisher supplied the information and be able to open that source. Fair attribution also gives publishers a reason to keep producing the material that answers are built from. The requirement would sit alongside the choice screen rules, so the services that benefit from being offered to users would also carry an obligation to credit the content they use. The CMA said the updated proposals reflect feedback from publishers, search providers and consumer groups, and the consultation on the package runs until 9 October 2026.

How this fits the wider Google case

The CMA designated Google with strategic market status in general search and search advertising services in October 2025. Strategic market status is a designation under the UK's digital markets competition regime, which came into force 20 months ago. The regime allows the CMA to set conduct requirements for firms with substantial and entrenched market power in a digital activity. In early 2026 the CMA set out a package of conduct requirements for consultation including user choice, data portability, fair ranking and a requirement giving publishers control to opt out of AI features in Google search results. It then imposed publisher controls on 3 June 2026 and fair ranking and data portability requirements on 17 June 2026.

The choice screen proposals published on 23 September 2026 are the user choice element of that package, now strengthened and extended to cover AI assistants. The CMA said that since the digital markets competition regime came into force 20 months ago it has made 3 strategic market status designations in search and mobile platforms. For consumers, the sequence matters because the requirements already in force cover how results are ranked and how data can be moved, while the new consultation covers what appears at the point of choosing a search service. The attribution requirement links the two: a service that wins a place on a choice screen would also have to credit the publishers whose content it uses. The consultation closes on 9 October 2026.

What happens next and what it means for users

The CMA is inviting views on the updated proposals by 9 October 2026 before reaching a final decision on the conduct requirement, which it expects to make by the end of the year. If the requirement is imposed, a UK user setting up an Android phone or opening Chrome for the first time would see a choice of search services, including AI assistants that meet the relevant criteria. The user would pick a default, and would then be prompted every year to choose their default provider again. Search providers on the screen would have to fairly attribute publisher content when used, so a user could reach and identify the source behind a result or an answer.

The timing means nothing changes immediately. The consultation is a stage for views from publishers, search providers and consumer groups, and the final decision is expected by the end of the year. If implemented, the visible change for a consumer would be a prompt at setup and an annual reminder, plus clearer sourcing when an AI assistant or search service uses publisher material. The CMA's stated aim is future-proofing the options available to people in the UK as the way people search continues to change. The deadline for responses is 9 October 2026.

Source: CMA press release, 23 September 2026.

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Frequently asked questions

What is a choice screen?

A choice screen is a prompt that asks which search service should be the default when someone first uses an Android phone or opens Chrome. Under the CMA proposals, Google would have to show one at that point and then prompt every year to choose a default provider again.

When does the consultation close?

The CMA is inviting views on the updated proposals by 9 October 2026. It expects to reach a final decision on the conduct requirement by the end of the year.

Which AI assistants could appear?

The CMA's reasoning names services such as ChatGPT and Perplexity as examples of AI assistants people increasingly use as their search service. The proposals would allow AI assistants on choice screens where they meet relevant criteria, including technical and security requirements.

What is the attribution requirement?

Search providers featured on choice screens would have to fairly attribute publisher content when used, so people can easily access source content and know where their search results came from. This means a user relying on an AI answer for a factual question could reach and identify the publisher behind it.

What has the CMA already imposed on Google?

The CMA designated Google with strategic market status in general search and search advertising services in October 2025. It imposed publisher controls on 3 June 2026 and fair ranking and data portability requirements on 17 June 2026.