Ofcom's AI in Telecoms Report 2026: Your Rights When a Chatbot Answers

Who this is for: anyone who has been stuck in a chatbot loop, anyone who has asked ChatGPT to pick their broadband, and anyone who helps a parent or a small business with either. AI has arrived in the telecoms customer journey faster than most people noticed. Nearly half of adult UK internet users have used a tool such as ChatGPT or Gemini in the past year, one in four has dealt with a customer service chatbot, and one in 12 has used AI to deal with a broadband, mobile, landline or pay TV service. On 25 September 2026 Ofcom published its first full assessment of what that means, drawing on a survey of 4,033 adults, 35 in depth interviews, 13 focus groups, 27 written responses and roundtables with providers, AI labs and consumer groups. This guide sets out what Ofcom found, what it decided, the rights you already have when a bot answers, five checks to make before you act on anything an AI tells you about broadband, and what could change next.

What did Ofcom publish on 25 September 2026?

Direct answer: a discussion paper, AI in telecoms markets: the impact on consumers' experiences so far and how it may develop, plus a 60 slide qualitative research report. It concludes that AI is already in use at every stage of the customer journey, that firms are deploying it cautiously, that there is limited evidence of harm so far, and that Ofcom's existing rules are enough for now.

The work began with an invitation to contribute in January 2026. Ofcom received 27 responses, held roundtables with telecoms companies, AI developers, intermediaries and consumer groups, and commissioned two pieces of research: quantitative questions in its Technology Tracker 2026, and a qualitative study by Jigsaw Research across England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland that deliberately included people with additional needs and small business decision makers. Ofcom's own headline for the release was that consumers are using AI to help manage their telecoms services, but human contact is still valued.

Ofcom's map of the market is worth a moment, because it names names. On the provider side: Vodafone replaced its TOBi chatbot with the GenAI powered SuperTOBi in July 2024; EE's Aimee gained GenAI in 2024 and, according to BT Group, handles up to 60,000 conversations a week; Virgin Media O2 runs Lumi AI to prompt and summarise for human agents; VodafoneThree's SuperAgent helps agents search answers. On the intermediary side: MoneySuperMarket's Fin chatbot and, from 2026, a MoneySuperMarket app inside ChatGPT that pulls deals from its own systems. Ofcom also notes that some general purpose AI assistants are already trialling in app checkout with retailers, which could one day include telecoms.

How many people are using AI to manage their broadband and mobile?

Direct answer: 8% of adult UK internet users, one in 12, had used an AI service in relation to telecoms in the past 12 months. Within that, 6% had used one to resolve an issue, 3% to compare, 2% to complain. Ofcom expects those numbers to grow quickly.

The wider picture explains why. In Ofcom's Technology Tracker 2026, 48% of adult UK internet users had used a GenAI tool such as ChatGPT, Meta AI, Gemini or Copilot in the past year, 23% had interacted with a customer service chatbot, and 53% had done at least one of the two. The most common reasons were finding information (50%), work (40%), seeking advice (32%), summarising or editing text (31%) and resolving an issue (27%). Most people found the tools easy to use (85%) and said they got what they needed (81%). Use is heavily skewed to younger and more affluent people: those aged 16 to 44 and in ABC1 households were more likely to use GenAI, and those over 65 and in C2DE households were less likely to have used a chatbot at all.

Telecoms is behind retail, banking and energy as a place people meet chatbots, but it is catching up. In the qualitative research, participants who used AI for telecoms mostly used it to compare tariffs and deals, to look at other providers when a contract was ending, and to decode jargon such as gigabits, download speeds and coverage. One small business owner described asking an AI what the best broadband in the UK was and getting detailed information back; a low user with additional needs valued being able to narrow searches by what mattered most, price or speed. If jargon is the barrier, our telecoms acronym decoder explains 645 terms without a login or a data trail.

What did Ofcom decide, and what did it not decide?

Direct answer: no new rules and no new guidance, because Ofcom found no evidence that AI has been a systemic cause of harm and heard consistently from industry that its rules are not holding back responsible innovation. It did clarify two expectations and list five challenges it expects to face soon.

The two clarifications are the ones that matter to a household tonight. First, it should be very clear to a customer when they are interacting with a GenAI application: a chatbot should be transparent about being AI from the way it describes itself. Second, Ofcom would be concerned if a provider's AI acted as a gatekeeper that created barriers to the support channels providers are required to offer. Both already flow from existing rules, which is why Ofcom has restated them rather than written new ones.

The five challenges Ofcom expects in the near future are transparency about how firms use AI and what data it decides on; accountability for AI's decisions and routes to redress; how firms get meaningful consent to AI made decisions; whether AI decisions reinforce inequalities or discriminate; and how AI affects customers in vulnerable circumstances. Its next steps are a further roundtable in the first quarter of 2027/28 and research on trust and AI chatbots in spring 2027.

Consumer groups wanted more. Which?, in its April 2026 response, asked Ofcom to follow the Competition and Markets Authority's example and issue guidance for providers on AI agents, to require transparency under General Condition C2, and to ensure chatbots clearly tell customers how to escalate to a human under General Condition C4. Citizens Advice argued there is already a gap in protection for users of early agentic switching services. Ofcom's answer is that it needs evidence of impact before it can justify new rules, and that it will act quickly if that evidence arrives.

What are your rights when a chatbot answers?

Direct answer: the same rights you had before the chatbot existed. The provider is responsible for what its AI tells you, must offer you at least three ways to complain, must meet the needs of vulnerable and disabled customers through every channel, and cannot put you into a contract without your express consent.

Two things from the research are worth holding on to. Participants wanted a human most for complex or sensitive issues, debt and bereavement above all, and Ofcom reports that providers currently take a human first approach to exactly those cases. One provider told Ofcom that after three failed attempts to resolve a query through its chatbot, the customer is routed to a person automatically. If your provider does not do that, the three route rule is your fallback, and our Ofcom complaints by provider report shows which companies generate the fewest escalations in the first place.

How do you get past a chatbot to a person?

Direct answer: ask plainly, then use a different door. Your provider must offer a telephone number, a postal address and an email address or web form for complaints, and Ofcom has said it would be concerned by AI that stands in the way of those channels.

1. Ask the chatbot two things in plain words: "Are you an AI?" and "Please connect me to a person." Ofcom expects the first answer to be clear. One provider told Ofcom that three failed attempts to resolve a query trigger an automatic hand over.
2. If it will not connect you, stop typing and change channel. Phone, email, web form or post: the provider must accept a complaint by at least three of these. Say the words "I want to make a formal complaint" so it is logged with a date.
3. Tell them if you need extra support. Providers must publish and follow policies for customers whose circumstances make them vulnerable, and must meet the needs of disabled customers through every channel. Ask to be recorded as needing it.
4. Keep a record. Screenshot the chat, note the time, and if the chatbot gave you wrong information, say so in the complaint. The provider is responsible for what its AI told you.
5. Escalate on time. Six weeks unresolved (for complaints raised on or after 8 April 2026), or a deadlock letter sooner, and the Communications Ombudsman or CISAS will take it, free.

Can you trust ChatGPT, Gemini or Copilot to compare broadband?

Direct answer: for research, yes, with care. For the decision, no. Ofcom found that people trust general purpose assistants as more neutral than providers' own tools, but AI cannot see what is available at your address, may be working from out of date prices, and does not disclose its market coverage or commercial relationships.

The qualitative research is candid about why people like the assistants. They are seen as the next version of the search engine, they explain jargon, they summarise across sources and they help people walk into a negotiation better prepared. Participants also trusted them, for now, to be independent in a way they did not trust providers' chatbots to be. In the same breath they raised the questions that Ofcom turned into its five trust criteria.

The accuracy question is the one to take most seriously. Ofcom's paper cites Good Things Foundation research from 2025 in which almost 70% of UK adults said AI made it harder to know what is real. The most rigorous independent test of the assistants themselves was run by the BBC and the European Broadcasting Union in October 2025, and its numbers are sobering.

That test was about news, not broadband, and the assistants keep changing. The reason it matters here is that the two commonest failures, missing or misleading sources and out of date facts, are precisely what goes wrong with broadband advice. Prices change every April, altnets launch and merge, social tariff eligibility differs by provider, and the deal an assistant quotes may not exist at your postcode. Ofcom's own view is that very few consumers currently rely on AI information about telecoms in isolation, and that consumer law applies wherever an AI tool facilitates a purchase or displays adverts. That protects you after the fact. The five checks below protect you before it.

What should you check before acting on an AI broadband recommendation?

Direct answer: five things, and they take less time than the conversation with the chatbot did. Ask for the source and date, check your own postcode, check the total contract cost, check for a social tariff yourself, and remember that only you can give the consent that makes a contract real.

Step two is the one people skip. Our comparison shows every network at your address, including the altnets that general purpose assistants tend to miss because they are working from national coverage rather than your street, and it shows the total cost over the contract rather than the intro price. Step three catches the pounds and pence rise written into most 2026 contracts and the setup and exit fees. Step four matters because eligibility differs by provider. Step five is the law: General Condition C1.6, and the One Touch Switch process that only your new provider can start.

What could change next?

Direct answer: four things Ofcom is watching: more accessible and tailored communication, hyper personalised offers and prices, one stop AI intermediaries that could switch you with consent, and personal AI agents acting on your behalf. Each could help. Each could also make it harder to see whether you are getting a fair deal.

Tailored communication is the clearest win: assistants that explain a bill in everyday language, respond in Welsh or Greek, switch between text and voice, and spot from the questions someone is asking that they may need extra help. Ofcom's caveat is that people need the confidence and AI literacy to use these tools, so they must be inclusive by design.

Hyper personalisation is the double edged one. Combining your usage, billing history and even property type with GenAI could produce genuinely better matched offers, and Ofcom says some people could pay less. But highly targeted offers make it harder to compare, could enable pricing based on your inferred willingness to pay, could reinforce inequalities, and could weaken competition through algorithmic collusion. Ofcom's future example is a disengaged customer offered a price tailored to you with no way to know whether it is comparable value. Its 2020 work found personalised pricing need not always be harmful; its 2026 paper says trust could be eroded if it is not transparent.

One stop AI intermediaries and personal AI agents depend on identity verification and consent standards that do not exist yet. When they do, an assistant could monitor your account, compare offers and, with your consent, move you. Ofcom's warning example is an agent that finds a cheaper, faster deal but gives too little weight to contract flexibility just before a house move. Participants who liked the idea were mostly heavy AI users; one small business owner said it was their idea of heaven because they did not like talking to people. Most others worried about the personal data an agent would need, commercial incentives shaping its choices, and losing control of the final decision. Ofcom also flags that criminals will try to manipulate agents to take over accounts and numbers, which is why our guide to broadband and telecoms scams remains essential reading.

For small businesses the calculus is different again. The research found SMEs were heavier AI users with more critical connectivity needs, accepted AI as a first line of response, and expected fast escalation to a person because the cost of a service failure is higher. Business broadband contracts also sit outside One Touch Switch, so an AI agent cannot lean on the consumer switching process either.

Where does BroadbandSwitch.uk stand on AI?

Direct answer: we use it, we say where, and a named human editor signs off every page. Ofcom's five trust criteria are the questions we answer on our AI and automation disclosure page.

On data use, our tools do not need your account details, and our comparison does not require a login. On profit motives, our provider directory covers more than 500 UK providers and our comparison shows every network at an address, not a paid shortlist. On human control, every guide, price and switching step is checked against a primary source by a person before it goes live, and you can complain about us to a human. On accuracy, every figure carries its date and source, including the ones in this article. On quality, you are reading the output. We wrote about the other side of this story, whether the AI boom could slow your broadband or raise your bill, in a separate piece.

What should I do now?

Direct answer: use AI for what it is good at, and keep the decision. Three things this week.

Frequently asked questions

What did Ofcom's AI in telecoms report say?

Published on 25 September 2026, the report found that AI is already part of how people deal with broadband, mobile, landline and pay TV: 8% of adult UK internet users had used an AI service in relation to telecoms in the past year, and many people value AI for research and basic tasks but want a human for anything complex or sensitive. Ofcom concluded that its existing rules are working, that it does not need new rules or guidance now, and that it will act quickly if evidence of harm emerges. It clarified that customers should be told clearly when they are dealing with AI and that AI must not become a barrier to reaching a person.

How many people use AI to manage their broadband or mobile?

Ofcom's Technology Tracker 2026, based on face to face interviews with 4,033 UK adults between March and June 2026, found that 8% of adult UK internet users had used an AI service in relation to telecoms in the past 12 months, or one in 12. A further 6% had used one to resolve a telecoms issue, 3% to compare prices, products or services and 2% to make a complaint. Across all sectors, 48% had used a GenAI tool such as ChatGPT or Gemini and 23% had used a customer service chatbot.

Do I have the right to speak to a human at my broadband provider?

Ofcom's General Condition C4 requires providers to let you complain by at least three routes: a telephone number, a postal address and an email address or dedicated web page. Ofcom's report says it would be concerned if a provider's AI acted as a gatekeeper that created barriers to those channels, and that AI should be only one of the ways a customer in vulnerable circumstances can reach their provider, alongside phone, email, post and relay services. If a chatbot will not connect you, use one of the other routes and keep a record.

Does a chatbot have to tell me it is AI?

Ofcom says it should be very clear to customers when they are interacting with a GenAI application, and that a chatbot should be transparent about being AI from the way it describes itself. The Competition and Markets Authority's March 2026 guidance on AI agents says firms must not mislead consumers into believing a service is provided by a real person where that could affect their decisions. Ofcom has not written a new rule on this, because it considers existing transparency and consumer law already apply.

Can an AI agent switch my broadband provider without me?

No. Under Ofcom's General Condition C1.6, a contract only becomes effective once you have given express consent after receiving the contract summary. Under One Touch Switch, only your new provider can start a switch, through the industry hub run by TOTSCo, and your old provider must send you the implications of leaving before it goes ahead. Ofcom's report notes that identity verification protocols that would let third party AI tools switch you do not yet exist, and that any such change would need a rethink of the switching process.

Can I trust ChatGPT to find the cheapest broadband?

Use it to research, not to decide. Ofcom found that participants trusted general purpose AI assistants as more neutral than providers' own tools, but that AI cannot see what is available at your address, may use out of date prices, and may not disclose its market coverage or commercial relationships. A BBC led study of more than 3,000 AI assistant answers in October 2025 found 45% had at least one significant issue and 20% had major accuracy problems. Check any AI recommendation against a postcode search and the provider's own page before you act on it.

What happens if a chatbot gives me wrong information?

The provider is responsible. Ofcom's report says that if a third party designs an AI application that a provider deploys, responsibility for compliance rests with the provider. Keep the transcript, raise a complaint through one of the three required routes, and if it is not resolved you can take it to the Communications Ombudsman or CISAS after six weeks for complaints raised on or after 8 April 2026, or sooner with a deadlock letter.

Is Ofcom bringing in new rules on AI chatbots?

Not now. Ofcom concluded on 25 September 2026 that its rules already give firms the certainty to innovate and give it the powers to protect customers, and that there is limited evidence so far of AI causing systemic harm. It has clarified how existing rules apply, will hold a further roundtable in the first quarter of 2027/28, will publish research on trust and AI chatbots in spring 2027, and has listed five areas where it expects new challenges: transparency, accountability and redress, meaningful consent, discriminatory outcomes and vulnerable customers.

Will a chatbot tell me about a social tariff?

Not necessarily. Ofcom's report gives the example of a customer struggling with costs who relies on a provider's chatbot, which fails to identify that a social tariff would suit them, so they stay on a higher cost service. Ofcom also notes that providers currently restrict chatbots from handling sensitive queries such as struggling to pay. If anyone in your home receives Universal Credit, Pension Credit or a similar benefit, check social tariffs yourself rather than waiting to be told.

What is hyper-personalised pricing and should I worry about it?

It is the use of AI and real time data, such as your usage, billing history and inferred willingness to pay, to offer you a price tailored to you. Ofcom says it could lower some people's bills but could also make it harder to judge whether you are getting good value, weaken competition and reinforce inequalities. Ofcom's report says it is not aware of this being applied consistently in telecoms yet. The protection is the same as ever: compare your offer against the open market before you accept it.

How do I complain if a chatbot will not help?

Use one of the other routes your provider must offer: phone, post or email. State that you are making a formal complaint and ask for it to be logged. If it is not resolved within six weeks for complaints raised on or after 8 April 2026, or you receive a deadlock letter sooner, you can go to the Communications Ombudsman or CISAS free of charge. Our complaints hub has the escalation timeline and template wording.

Does BroadbandSwitch.uk use AI?

Yes, and we say so. Our AI and automation disclosure page sets out where we use AI, for research, drafting, data checks and accessibility testing, and where a named human editor always has the final say. No page is published without human review, every price and switching step is checked against a primary source, and our comparison covers more than 500 providers from our directory rather than a paid shortlist.

References

• Competition and Markets Authority. (2026, March 9). Complying with consumer law when using AI agents. GOV.UK. Retrieved 25 September 2026, from https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/complying-with-consumer-law-when-using-ai-agents/complying-with-consumer-law-when-using-ai-agents
• European Broadcasting Union, & BBC. (2025, October 22). Largest study of its kind shows AI assistants misrepresent news content 45% of the time, regardless of language or territory. Retrieved 25 September 2026, from https://www.ebu.ch/news/2025/10/ai-s-systemic-distortion-of-news-is-consistent-across-languages-and-territories-international-study-by-public-service-broadcaste
• Jigsaw Research. (2026, September). Exploring the impact of AI on the telecoms customer journey: Qualitative research report (Annex 2). Ofcom. Retrieved 25 September 2026, from https://www.ofcom.org.uk/phones-and-broadband/telecoms-infrastructure/Exploring-what-impact-the-adoption-of-artificial-intelligence-could-have-on-the-experience-of-telecoms-customers
• Ofcom. (2020, August 4). Personalised pricing for communications: Making data work for consumers. Retrieved 25 September 2026, from https://www.ofcom.org.uk/
• Ofcom. (2025, July 8). Statement: Review of ADR in the telecoms sector. Retrieved 25 September 2026, from https://www.ofcom.org.uk/siteassets/resources/documents/consultations/category-1-10-weeks/review-of-adr-in-the-telecoms-sector/statement/statement-on-ofcoms-review-of-adr-procedures.pdf
• Ofcom. (2026, January 27). Understanding how people and businesses can benefit from AI in telecoms markets: Invitation to contribute. Retrieved 25 September 2026, from https://www.ofcom.org.uk/phones-and-broadband/telecoms-infrastructure/Exploring-what-impact-the-adoption-of-artificial-intelligence-could-have-on-the-experience-of-telecoms-customers
• Ofcom. (2026, September 25). AI in telecoms markets: The impact on consumers' experiences so far and how it may develop (Discussion paper). Retrieved 25 September 2026, from https://www.ofcom.org.uk/phones-and-broadband/telecoms-infrastructure/Exploring-what-impact-the-adoption-of-artificial-intelligence-could-have-on-the-experience-of-telecoms-customers
• Ofcom. (2026, September 25). Consumers using AI to help manage their telecoms services, but human contact still valued [News release]. Retrieved 25 September 2026, from https://www.ofcom.org.uk/
• Ofcom. (2026). Technology Tracker 2026 (Ipsos, 4,033 UK adults 16+, 6 March to 30 June 2026), questions QX1 to QX6. Retrieved 25 September 2026, from https://www.ofcom.org.uk/
• Which?. (2026, April 1). The impact of AI adoption for telecoms customers: Which? response. Retrieved 25 September 2026, from https://www.which.co.uk/policy-and-insight/article/the-impact-of-ai-adoption-for-telecoms-customers-which-response-aWKz12b5Mk9s

Written by Adrian James, Broadband Editor at BroadbandSwitch.uk (LinkedIn). Reviewed by Dr Alex J. Martin-Smith, Founder (LinkedIn). Published 25 September 2026. BroadbandSwitch.uk is an independent comparison site and is not a broadband provider. AI was used in researching and drafting this article; a named editor checked every figure against the source documents. Corrections are logged publicly.