The UK’s Competition and Markets Authority (CMA), a government body that ensures fair competition in the marketplace, is proposing new rules to increase user choice on Android and Chrome platforms. These changes would allow users to select their preferred search engine when first using their Android device or Chrome browser, rather than defaulting to Google. The CMA also wants to ensure that users are reminded annually to review and potentially change their search engine preference, which would be a new requirement. In addition to search engine choices, the CMA is proposing updated guidelines for AI assistants. These rules would require search providers to clearly credit the original content creators when displaying search results, ensuring that publishers are acknowledged for their work. The three main recommendations from the CMA include: requiring users to choose a search engine at first use and annually, allowing users to select AI assistants that meet specific security and technical standards, and ensuring proper attribution of content in search results. Currently, users in the UK already have the option to choose their search engine on Android and Chrome, but the new proposal could formalize these choices and introduce regular reminders. CMA chief executive Sarah Cardell explained that these proposals are intended to ensure that UK users have access to a variety of search services as new ones emerge in the future. These new proposals follow recent rules that allow publishers to opt out of AI-generated search results and ensure fair treatment of Google’s search rankings and data portability. Similar regulations already exist in many regions, including Europe, where smartphone manufacturers are required to offer users a choice of search engines and browsers. However, for AI assistants, Google’s Gemini is deeply integrated with its search function, making it difficult to replace at the moment. Meanwhile, Apple is reportedly preparing for future regulations by introducing features in its upcoming macOS and iOS updates that could allow third-party AI models to replace Siri.