On Our Radar

Home 5 On Our Radar

What’s on Our Radar: Top News and Must-Read Articles from UK and Beyond

The White House on 23 July, 2025, released “Winning the AI Race: America’s AI Action Plan,” outlining over 90 deregulatory and pro‑innovation measures across accelerating AI innovation, building domestic AI infrastructure, and leading on the global stage.
Germany AI Offensive: Germany plans an AI strategy to generate 10% of its economic output from artificial intelligence by 2030.
OpenAI has introduced the ChatGPT Agent, a new feature that significantly enhances user interaction by allowing more autonomous and context-aware AI assistance.
The United States declared it will leave UNESCO by the end of 2026, criticising the organisation for perceived anti-Israel bias and diverging from American priorities.
The EU has released a General-Purpose AI Code of Practice to help providers align with upcoming AI Act rules on transparency, copyright, and safety for powerful AI models.
Microsoft is expected to endorse the EU’s AI Code of Practice, while Meta has expressed resistance, highlighting ongoing tensions around AI regulatory frameworks.
The UK government is prioritising AI development as a core strategy to drive economic growth and transform the country into a global leader in AI technology and innovation.
A trial version of the GOV.UK app has been launched to make public services more accessible, placing essential government functions directly into citizens’ hands through their smartphones.
The European Commission has launched new actions to accelerate the circular economy, including a digital waste shipment system, evaluation of e-waste rules, and steps toward a 2026 Circular Economy Act.
The UK’s AI Energy Council is set to address the urgent need to upgrade the national grid infrastructure to support the increasing energy demands of AI technologies.
In partnership with Google, the UK government is working to eliminate outdated legacy technology systems and plans to upskill 100,000 civil servants in AI and digital competencies.
The creative and AI sectors in the UK have come together to initiate the next phase of discussions focused on finding balanced solutions for AI’s impact on copyright and intellectual property rights.
Sri Lanka is strengthening its digital transformation efforts by enhancing the GovPay system to streamline and digitise more government services efficiently.
The World Economic Forum and the UAE launched the Global Regulatory Innovation Platform to help governments design agile, future-ready regulation for fast-moving sectors like AI and digital finance.
The Indonesian government is preparing a presidential regulation to establish clear governance frameworks for the utilisation of AI in the public sector.
Australia has published an in-depth report outlining the growth, opportunities, and challenges within its national AI ecosystem, highlighting its potential for economic transformation.
In a move to protect national security, U.S. lawmakers have introduced legislation that would ban Chinese AI technologies from being used by federal government agencies.
California has proposed a bill to regulate AI-powered companion chatbots, targeting those that may cause harm or provide misleading information.
Lawmakers in Ohio have introduced new legislation designed to regulate AI technologies and address potential risks to consumers and public safety.
The Malaysian government is considering introducing mandatory labelling requirements for AI-generated content as part of its Online Safety Act to enhance transparency.
Ghana has joined a regional coalition advocating for a unified AI policy framework to ensure coordinated governance across African nations.
Chinese experts are urging the international community to cooperate on regulating the use of AI in armed conflict to prevent misuse and uphold humanitarian standards.
Anthropic has highlighted the critical need for transparency in the development and deployment of frontier AI technologies to build trust and ensure safety.
Cloudflare has entered the ongoing debate surrounding AI consent and compensation, advocating for fair practices in the use of AI-generated content.
Mistral AI has updated Le Chat with new voice recognition and deep research capabilities to enhance human-computer interaction.
Google has released MedGemma AI, a suite of advanced AI models tailored for healthcare applications, including medical imaging and genomics, to enhance clinical workflows and diagnostic accuracy.
Major military AI contracts have been awarded to leading companies including Anthropic, OpenAI, Google, and XAI, reflecting growing government investment in defense technologies.
China has introduced regulations requiring clear labelling of AI-generated content to promote transparency and protect users from misinformation.
WeTransfer confirmed it does not use user files to train AI after backlash over updated terms of service.
The Kerala High Court in India has issued new guidelines restricting the use of AI tools within the district judiciary to ensure fair and unbiased legal processes.
Brazil’s Supreme Court has expanded the responsibilities of big tech companies by ordering the removal of anti-democratic content, reinforcing efforts to combat misinformation.
OpenAI will expand its UK office and collaborate with government departments to enhance AI infrastructure and transform public services across the country.

UK DSIT Cyber Security Newsletter (June 2025) shares recent developments in national cyber strategy, including cross-sector collaboration and government-led initiatives.
OECD: Digital Transformation of Public Procurement provides a framework for governments to modernize procurement systems through digital technologies and data-driven approaches.
UK Cyber Security Sector and Labour Market Research: The UK government outlines how personal data will be collected and used for research into the cyber security sector and labour market, supporting evidence-based policy development.
OECD: Advancing Public Sector Sustainability Reporting offers policy guidance on integrating sustainability and ESG reporting practices across the public sector.
UK Digital Inclusion Action Plan – Summary of Responses summarizes stakeholder feedback on strategies to improve access to digital technologies and reduce digital exclusion.
OECD: AI and the Future of Social Protection investigates how AI technologies are reshaping social protection systems and what reforms are needed to ensure inclusivity and resilience.
CSET: AI Use Cases in Xiamen City Government provides detailed examples of how AI is being used in local governance in China, spanning education, healthcare, and city management.
New Zealand’s Strategy for Artificial Intelligence lays out the country’s national vision for responsible and inclusive AI development and deployment.
Apple Technical Report: Foundation Language Models explains the architecture, training methodology, and performance of Apple’s latest foundation models powering its AI capabilities.

Articles

The article “China’s AI Policy at the Crossroads: Balancing Development and Control in the DeepSeek Era” examines China’s strategic approach to AI development, focusing on deep learning advancements and their implications for global AI competition and governance.
Generative AI and Copyright – Training, Creation, Regulation: A new European Parliament study urges clearer copyright rules for generative AI, calling for transparency, fair licensing, and better protection for creators.
The report “Reforming the Alan Turing Institute” recommends changes to the structure and priorities of the UK’s national data science and AI institute, including a stronger focus on defence and national security.
Unesco and ITU Broadband Commission has released an updated Data Governance Toolkit designed to help policymakers, regulators, and industry leaders navigate complex issues like privacy, data sharing, cybersecurity, and digital trust across sectors.
The paper “From oligarchy to decentralization: Network structures and collaboration on digital platforms” presents an analysis of evolving digital network governance, highlighting the shift from centralised to decentralised collaborative models.
In “Developing a Framework for a Sustainable City Index: A Comprehensive Approach to Urban Sustainability”, the authors propose a multidimensional methodology to assess and guide sustainable urban development.
“Unlocking Sustainable Production Pathways: Digital Transformation Driving Green Dual Innovation in Chinese Enterprises” reviews how digital technologies catalyse environmentally sustainable innovation and production processes in China’s industrial sector.
The study “Advancing Agency: Digital Self-Determination as a Framework for AI Governance”explores the concept of empowering individuals with control over AI interactions through principles of digital autonomy.
“Validation of the general attitudes towards Artificial Intelligence Scale in the Italian context and the role of trust” investigates public perceptions of AI in Italy, emphasising how trust influences acceptance and adoption.
“Who are you? Examining the multifaceted innovation roles of municipal governments in AI governance” argues that local governments play complex and evolving roles in shaping AI policy, innovation, and regulation.

Blogs

Building a Responsible AI Future: Insights from the G7 Hiroshima Process: The G7 initiative is advancing global efforts to align AI development with democratic values and responsible innovation principles.
Governing AI in Agriculture: Addressing Sector-Specific Risks and Gaps: This post outlines practical tools for managing AI risks in agriculture, highlighting governance challenges and potential policy solutions.
AI in Latin America’s Informal Settlements: Transforming Urban Inclusion: AI-powered tools are helping local governments in Latin America address inequality in informal housing and improve service delivery.
Cybersecurity in the AI Era: Google’s Latest Safety Measures: Google outlines its latest efforts to enhance platform security, protect user data, and safeguard AI tools against misuse.
The Global Divide in AI Infrastructure: A visual deep-dive into how disparities in computing power and chip access are shaping the global AI race.
AI Governance and Inequalities: Bridging Policy Gaps: The LSE Inequalities blog discusses how unequal access to AI technologies risks reinforcing social and economic disparities.
AI and Research Assessment: Caution Needed examines the ethical and practical concerns of using AI tools in academic evaluation and peer review processes.
AI Agents and the Future of Digital Interfaces predicts a shift away from traditional apps towards intelligent AI agents capable of interacting across platforms on behalf of users.
Data as a Strategic Asset: Rethinking Governance Models: The Open Data Institute calls for governments and institutions to treat data as a public infrastructure asset, central to innovation and policy.

12-month Open-Source AI Fellowship – UK Department for Science, Innovation & Technology
Transformative AI Policy Analyst – UK Department for Science, Innovation & Technology
Consultant (AI for the Public Sector) – UNESCO
AI Governance Fellow – The Center for Democracy & Technology (CDT)
Researchers / Senior Researchers – AI Compute Policy – The Institute for AI Policy and Strategy (IAPS)
Mid-Career Fellowships– The British Academy
The APEX Awards (Academies Partnership in Supporting Excellence in Cross-disciplinary research)– The British Academy
Research Associate, Cyber Security Risk Analysis and Management of Identity Systems – Alan Turing Institute
The European Digital Skills Awards 2025 – The European Commission
2025 Kluz Prize for PeaceTech