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Peri News / United Kingdom

AI agents: CMA reiterates responsibility and oversight

The CMA highlights businesses’ responsibility for AI agents in consumer interactions and recommends testing, human oversight and prompt correction of problems.

Laptop showing chat bubbles and user and AI assistant icons, beside a connected rotary control on a white background.
AI-generated illustration

The Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) updated its GOV.UK page “Using AI agents: complying with consumer law” on 30 October 2026; it was first published on 9 March 2026. The update announces a joint statement issued that day by Digital Regulation Cooperation Forum (DRCF) members: the CMA, FCA, ICO and Ofcom. According to the announcement, it covers ongoing work, cooperation between regulators and government, and the application of existing regulatory frameworks to AI agents. The joint statement itself was not examined; this summary relies on the official announcement.

The separate guidance, “Complying with consumer law when using AI agents”, explains that UK businesses remain responsible for compliance with consumer law when using AI agents, including those supplied by third parties. This is guidance on existing obligations, rather than new legislation. It recommends testing before deployment, monitoring, active human oversight and prompt correction of problems. For customer service and refunds, agents must respect statutory rights and contractual terms. Businesses should disclose AI use where dealing with a system rather than a person could affect consumers’ decisions.

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