The UK’s regulatory push against Google could provide a major, game-changing boost for a new generation of AI-native search engines. By specifically suggesting that rivals like Perplexity and ChatGPT could be included on proposed “choice screens,” the Competition and Market Authority (CMA) is looking to the future of search, not just the past.
This is a significant and forward-thinking move. For years, the debate about search competition has centered on traditional rivals like Microsoft’s Bing and DuckDuckGo. The CMA’s action is one of the first major regulatory interventions anywhere in the world to explicitly acknowledge the disruptive potential of conversational AI and large language models in the search space.
For startups like Perplexity, which offer a fundamentally different, answer-focused search experience, this is a golden opportunity. The biggest barrier they face is user inertia and Google’s default status. Being placed on a mandatory choice screen in front of millions of UK users would be a marketing and user-acquisition coup that money alone cannot buy.
This could supercharge innovation in the search sector. If AI startups see a clear path to market and a regulator willing to ensure a fair fight, it could attract a flood of new investment and talent into the space. It would shift the basis of competition from who has the most lucrative default deals to who has the most innovative technology.
While Google is also a leader in AI, the CMA’s move is a clear attempt to ensure that the next era of search is not as dominated by a single player as the last one was. It’s a choice for a new generation of technology and a potential lifeline for the companies building it.
