CMA Guidance on Consumer Law for AI Agents

UK CMA Publications

Published March 9th, 2026

Detected March 10th, 2026

Summary

The UK's Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) has published new guidance for businesses on complying with consumer protection law when using AI agents. The guidance clarifies that businesses remain responsible for the actions of AI agents they deploy and outlines how to train them to ensure legal compliance.

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What changed

The Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) has issued new guidance to help businesses understand their obligations under UK consumer protection law when utilizing AI agents. The document emphasizes that businesses are legally responsible for any illegal actions taken by AI agents they employ, regardless of the AI's autonomy. It provides advice on training and deploying these agents to ensure compliance with consumer law.

Businesses that use AI agents, such as for customer engagement or processing refunds, must ensure these tools operate within legal boundaries. The guidance aims to encourage the adoption of AI while mitigating risks associated with non-compliance. Compliance officers should review this guidance to update internal policies and training protocols for AI systems to prevent violations and potential reputational damage.

What to do next

Review internal policies regarding the use of AI agents in customer interactions.
Update training protocols for AI agents to ensure compliance with consumer protection law.
Assess the legal risks associated with current AI agent deployments.

Source document (simplified)

Guidance

Complying with consumer law when using AI agents

How your business can benefit from agentic AI while still meeting your legal obligations.

From: Competition and Markets Authority Published 9 March 2026 Get emails about this page

Documents

Complying with consumer law when using AI agents

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Details

AI has the potential to boost economic growth and improve people’s everyday lives, and the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) is committed to encouraging its use.

Using AI agents (or ‘agentic AI’) can benefit businesses in many ways. For example, they can help you to engage with customers or process refunds.

But if an AI agent you use does something illegal, you are responsible. It’s important to train your agents properly to make sure you comply with consumer protection law.

This guidance sets out how your business can use agentic AI to engage with your customers, while staying on the right side of the law and doing right by them.