UK CMA Wants ChatGPT on Google's Choice Screen: An Annual Search Re-Pick Turns GEO from Clicks into Citations

On September 23 (UK time), the UK Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) strengthened its search proposals for Google in an official press release: Android phones and Chrome would have to show a "search service choice screen" on first use and then once every year, and AI assistants such as ChatGPT and Perplexity could sit on that same screen alongside search engines, provided they meet technical and security standards. The target is Google, which handles more than 90% of UK searches. In one line: a regulator has, for the first time, formally treated AI assistants as search engines.

This did not come out of nowhere. On October 10, 2025, the CMA designated Google with "strategic market status" (SMS) in general search and search advertising, a scope that covers AI Overviews, AI Mode and Discover; Gemini was excluded at the time, pending future review. On June 3 this year the CMA introduced controls letting publishers opt out of AI results, followed on June 17 by fair ranking and data portability requirements. CMA Chief Executive Sarah Cardell's reason for adding AI assistants to the choice screen: people increasingly use AI assistants as their search service. The same week, Microsoft was spotted testing a rename of the Copilot tab in Bing to "AI Mode": the doors into search are changing their names.

The closest precedent is the EU. After the Digital Markets Act took effect in March 2024, TechCrunch reported that Brave's daily EU iOS installs rose from about 7,500 to 11,000 and Opera's new users grew 63% over two months, yet fewer than 20% of iOS users had seen a choice screen and Google's dominance held. Meanwhile, GEO monitoring tools are raising big money: on September 15, Profound raised a $180 million Series D at a $1.8 billion valuation. The category's direction is clear: entry points are fragmenting while monitoring tools are consolidating.

Will small businesses feel this? Taiwan is outside the CMA's jurisdiction, so the screen will not appear there soon, but rules like this tend to be copied by other markets, and the requirement to "clearly attribute sources" will change how AI cites you. Below: the rule details, actions for three kinds of readers, a monitoring tool comparison, and a no-subscription approach.

Event Details and Full Numbers

Based on the CMA release and UK firm Bratby Law's breakdown of the conditions, the key points are:

• Timing: shown on first use of Android and Chrome, then users are asked again every year to choose their default search service.
• The bar for AI assistants: they must search the web, handle navigational, transactional and informational queries, meet Google's minimum security standards, and attribute web content "clearly, accurately" with accessible links to sources.
• Slots: if 12 or more providers qualify, the screen shows the 5 most popular plus 7 chosen at random.
• Review: Google decides eligibility within two months, on a six-month cycle; rejections must be explained in writing to the CMA, but on Bratby's reading, rejected applicants have no appeal route.
• Timeline: consultation runs until October 9, 2026, with a final decision expected by the end of the year.

The winners are AI assistants with web search, like ChatGPT and Perplexity; the loser is Google's default traffic, where Gemini is bundled into search with no alternative offered.

What Three Kinds of Readers Should Do Now

Brand owners / SMB owners

• Open GA4 and build a separate report for traffic from chatgpt.com, perplexity.ai and copilot.microsoft.com, so you know your baseline today.

Marketing / SEO practitioners

• Make sure robots.txt does not block OAI-SearchBot, PerplexityBot or Bingbot; that is the precondition for being cited by AI assistants.
• Give every page a quotable one-line conclusion with a clear author, date and data source, meeting the new "attributable" standard.

Developers / agencies

• Add Organization, Article and FAQPage structured data to client sites so AI assistants pick up the correct name when they attribute sources.
• Build an "AI referral traffic" dashboard into the admin panel instead of handing clients only Google Search Console reports.

AI Visibility Monitoring Tools Compared

What They Won't Tell You

• Choice screens rarely change habits: in the EU, small browsers doubled installs, but the absolute numbers stayed small and Google's position held. Ask once a year, and most people keep their current choice.
• Google is still the gatekeeper: Google judges eligibility and sets the security standard, with no appeal for rejections. For small AI search startups, the bar is not low.
• "Attributing sources" is not "sending clicks": the rule requires clear, working links but sets no click-through requirement. Being cited without being clicked remains the norm.

No-Subscription Alternatives for SMBs

• Turn on the free AI Performance report in Bing Webmaster Tools to see which pages Copilot cites.
• Create an "AI assistants" custom channel group in GA4, with rules matching sources such as chatgpt, perplexity, copilot and gemini.
• List 20 questions customers commonly ask, run them once a month in ChatGPT, Perplexity and Gemini, and log whether you are mentioned in a spreadsheet.

• ☐ robots.txt confirmed not to block AI search crawlers
• ☐ AI referral channel group created in GA4
• ☐ Site verified in Bing Webmaster Tools
• ☐ List of 20 brand questions prepared

FAQ

Will the CMA choice screen appear in Taiwan?

No. This is a UK regulatory proposal that applies only to UK users, though the EU, Japan and others have similar rules, so it may well be used as a reference elsewhere.

Which AI assistants qualify for the screen?

They must search the web, handle a range of queries, meet security standards and clearly attribute sources with links. The CMA names ChatGPT and Perplexity as examples; Google makes the final call.

When does the rule take effect?

Consultation runs until October 9, 2026, and the CMA expects a final decision by year-end; the actual rollout date depends on that decision.

Should small businesses buy a GEO monitoring tool?

Start with the free Bing AI Performance report and GA4 source analysis. Once AI traffic is a real share, consider an entry plan such as OtterlyAI.

My Take

The mainstream reading is "Google's monopoly is about to loosen." I think the opposite: judging by the EU, the choice screen will barely move market share, and 12 months from now Google will probably still hold around nine-tenths of UK search. What really matters in this proposal is the unglamorous "source attribution" requirement: it is the first time a regulatory document says AI answers must clearly link back to the original web page. More platforms will cite you in the future, but each will be required to show your name, and the unit of brand visibility will shift from "clicks" to "citations."

A second call: as platforms start offering free citation reports like Bing's, mid-tier paid monitoring tools will be squeezed first.

The takeaway for ScriptWalker: a fixed-scope "AI source health check" service, covering crawler settings, structured data, a GA4 AI channel report and monthly citation spot checks. To find out how AI cites your website, contact us:

• Email: [email protected]
• Phone: 0916-224-047
• LINE: @ufv9089p

Sources

• Primary: CMA: strengthened proposals on search service choice (Sep 23, 2026)
• Primary: CMA: Google confirmed with strategic market status (Oct 10, 2025)
• Primary: CMA case page: Google's general search and search advertising services
• Primary: Bing Webmaster Blog: AI Performance report
• Primary: OtterlyAI pricing, Peec AI pricing
• Third-party: Engadget: CMA choice screen proposal
• Third-party: Bratby Law: choice screen eligibility conditions
• Third-party: Search Engine Roundtable: Bing tests the AI Mode name
• Third-party: TechCrunch: early impact of the EU DMA choice screen
• Third-party: TechCrunch: Profound raises $180M Series D