Radiocentre welcomes UK government plans to extend support for radio to AI-powered smart speakers
The UK government plans to designate major voice assistants like Alexa and Siri as regulated Radio Selection Services. This move ensures that UK radio stations remain easily accessible on AI-powered smart speakers as the technology evolves.
Why it matters
It establishes a regulatory framework to protect local media discoverability in an era dominated by global tech platforms.
The government has agreed that UK radio services should be supported across all the main voice assistants, including their AI powered spin-offs.
Confirmation of this approach was part of an announcement yesterday (15 July) of plans to formally designate Amazon's Alexa and Alexa+, Google Assistant and Apple's Siri as regulated Radio Selection Services under the Media Act 2024.
Media Minister Ian Murray made a statement to parliament setting out the government's position, which will be followed by a short consultation . This step marks a major milestone in protecting listeners' access to UK radio on voice-activated devices, following Ofcom's recommendation in March that the main three voice assistant platforms should be designated under Part 6 of the Act.
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