Google accuses Britain of trying to impose illegal measures to promote competing artificial intelligence services
Why did Google object to the UK Competition and Markets Authority's proposals for search selection screens?
London — Google has accused the UK's Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) of trying to introduce unlawful rules that could force it to make competing artificial intelligence (AI) services, such as ChatGPT and Claude, available to its users. In its response to the regulator's consultation, Google rejected plans that would require Android phone and Chrome users to see a screen where they could choose their preferred search service, including AI assistants. Google says this plan goes beyond the limits of the law already in place.
Google says the proposals go beyond the original legal scope
Google said the regulator left AI assistants out of the original investigation into search services when it gave the search market the status of a "strategically important market" in October 2025. The company said that including its own AI assistant, Gemini, and competing AI services in the new selection rules clearly breaks the legal limits the regulator had set for itself. Google also said the plan would introduce requirements that were not part of the original review.
Concerns about weaker competition and harm to news publishers
The technology company warned that adding AI services that are already successful could weaken competition instead of improving it. It said this could push competing search engines out of the market, even though the original rules were already helping them gain ground. Google also warned that sending users toward AI assistants could hurt news publishers and websites because people might visit the original sources less often than they do when using traditional search results.
Regulators respond as competition in technology grows
The dispute comes as major technology companies compete fiercely in the global AI market, and Google tries to increase the reach of its Gemini assistant. The UK's Competition and Markets Authority said it is reviewing all responses and objections before making its final decisions. The regulator said the proposals are mainly intended to give users more control and more choices as technology rapidly shifts toward AI.