Policy
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UK privacy regulator turns from AI training to autonomous agents
The UK privacy regulator has secured changes or commitments from ten foundation-model developers and opened a six-week call for evidence on autonomous AI agents. Its latest work addresses the use of personal information during model development and the actions systems take after deployment.
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Google halts Finnish data centre works amid environmental scrutiny
Finnish authorities have ordered Google to halt preparatory work at its Muhos and Kajaani data centre sites pending environmental assessment. Police are conducting a preliminary inquiry into activity at Muhos, while Google has acknowledged falling short of its standards.
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NHS sets out £839m GP software framework
NHS England is preparing an £838.7 million framework excluding VAT for GP patient records, clinical software and research, with an open structure designed to broaden the primary care technology market.
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DWP’s AI training push is mostly foundational
Department for Work and Pensions data shows 128,779 AI course completions in 12 months, but almost 98% came from two introductory modules, separating broad AI literacy from deeper technical capability.
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Publicly funded fibre exposes Europe’s regulatory split
BEREC has found significant variation in how European regulators oversee wholesale access to publicly funded fibre, leaving common principles to operate through different national pricing and monitoring practices.
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Europe’s sovereignty push runs into open source governance
Linux Foundation research finds digital sovereignty has become a technology priority across Europe, but weak governance, private software forks and rising dependency costs complicate the open source route to greater control.
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Generative AI becomes an internet openness problem
European telecom regulators are examining how generative AI changes access to online information, user choice and the economics of content production as AI services become gateways between people and the wider internet.
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Britain puts £12m behind the plumbing for shared data
The government is investing £12 million in data sharing infrastructure, including £3.75 million for the National Digital Twin Programme, as it tries to make information easier to exchange between organisations without replacing their existing systems.
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Healthcare AI rules move from blueprint to implementation
The government has accepted all 44 recommendations from its healthcare AI regulation commission and begun implementation through new MHRA guidance, further regulatory work and a third AI Airlock phase focused on post-market oversight.
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Instagram Instants tests Ofcom’s product change rules
Ofcom is investigating whether Meta carried out adequate illegal content and child safety risk assessments before launching Instagram Instants, testing Online Safety Act duties that apply when platforms make significant changes to their services.
