Four UK regulators say existing law already covers personal AI agents
The CMA, FCA, ICO and Ofcom have issued a joint statement on software that shops and contacts businesses for its users, saying an agent's autonomy does not reduce the responsibility of the firm deploying it.
AI agents that buy things and deal with companies on a person's behalf are already covered by UK law, four regulators said on Friday in a joint statement.
The Competition and Markets Authority, the Financial Conduct Authority, the Information Commissioner's Office and Ofcom work together through the Digital Regulation Cooperation Forum. Their statement lists competition, consumer and data protection law, online safety, financial services, payments and cyber security requirements as applying to these tools, along with areas outside their own remits such as product safety.
The regulators say they welcome the technology and that it could change how people use digital services. They also say agents may amplify existing risks and bring new ones, naming fraud and scams, personal information being shared in ways users do not expect, and misleading recommendations.
Questions for the firms building them
The statement asks companies to think through how a customer can tell when and how an agent is acting for them, and how the authority to act is given. It also covers how personal data is used, how commercial interests that might sway a recommendation are disclosed, who is accountable for the agent's decisions and how a user gets redress when something goes wrong.
Separately, the CMA published guidance in March for businesses using AI agents to deal with their own customers. It says consumer law applies to an AI agent as it does to a member of staff, and that a business answers for what its agent does even if a third party built it. Breaches can lead to fines of up to 10% of worldwide turnover.
What the regulators are doing
The four bodies say they are tracking the market, talking to developers, publishing guidance, sharing evidence and offering regulatory sandboxes. They are working with the government to find gaps in compliance, and they urge firms considering a launch to come to them early to test products and raise questions.
