June 2025 has been a defining month in the global AI landscape, marked by a surge of legislative, strategic, and commercial breakthroughs that reflect an urgent and shared commitment to shaping AI’s future responsibly and inclusively.
In the United States, states are setting bold precedents.
New York passed a groundbreaking AI safety bill championed by Senator Andrew Gounardes, mandating transparency for AI systems impacting public safety and enforcing strict reporting requirements for developers and users. This law aims to set a national standard for AI accountability.
Meanwhile, California’s Senate approved the “No Robo Bosses Act,” ensuring human oversight in all AI-driven workplace management and decision-making. This law addresses growing concerns about automated decisions overriding human judgment, protecting employee rights and ethical AI employment practices.
At the federal level, the FDA introduced a cross-agency AI tool to boost operational efficiency across government services, showcasing practical AI integration in public sector governance.
Across the Atlantic, the UK reaffirmed its AI leadership.
At the AI Summit London, the government highlighted progress on its national AI strategy focusing on sustainable growth, ethical deployment, and international competitiveness. A new Industrial Strategy plan was launched to support tech innovators scaling up within the UK, attracting global researchers and cultivating a responsible AI ecosystem.
Asia is accelerating AI governance and innovation.
Japan passed an AI governance bill balancing corporate accountability with innovation incentives, while South Korea unveiled reforms to strengthen its digital economy alongside ethical AI development. China’s Supreme People’s Court designated a landmark generative AI legal case as “typical,” underscoring AI accountability. Additionally, China announced the establishment of 10 national data zones to drive AI research and digital economic growth.
In Africa and South Asia, strategic initiatives are advancing rapidly.
Kenya launched a comprehensive AI policy promoting public-private partnerships to build AI infrastructure and regulatory frameworks that foster innovation while protecting societal interests. India concluded its final public consultation on responsible AI, edging closer to a robust ethical framework.
The commercial sector witnessed transformative moves.
Meta’s $14.3 billion acquisition of Scale AI signals intensified competition for high-quality AI training data, critical for cutting-edge AI development. OpenAI rolled out a suite of AI tools tailored for public sector use, illustrating growing governmental adoption of AI technologies.
On the legal front, Reddit’s lawsuit against Anthropic over unauthorized data scraping highlights persistent tensions in AI training data privacy.
Global cooperation remains a priority.
The G7 leaders endorsed a human-centred “AI for Prosperity” agenda, championing secure, inclusive, and equitable AI deployment worldwide, emphasizing international collaboration, SME support, workforce readiness, and ethical governance.
Key Reports to Explore
June also brought a wealth of authoritative analyses illuminating this evolving landscape:
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UK Technology Adoption Review: Practical steps to accelerate digital innovation and productivity across sectors.
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ASEAN Community Vision 2045: A roadmap for AI-driven inclusive growth in Southeast Asia.
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China’s Updated AI Governance Framework: Strengthening ethical standards aligned with national security and growth.
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OECD AI Capability Indicators: Benchmarking tools for assessing global AI policy readiness.
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World Economic Forum Reports: Strategies for building trust in AI health applications and integrating AI into clean energy and agriculture.
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Berlin Global Government Technology Centre Whitepaper: Exploring “agentic AI” and its transformative impact on governance.
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European Commission’s Digital Decade Package 2025: Assessing digital progress across the EU.
Must-Read Research Highlights
The month’s research spans technical innovation, policy analysis, and practical applications:
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“Is Artificial Intelligence an Impediment or an Impetus to Renewable Energy Investment? Evidence from China” — how AI drives renewable energy through forecasting and grid optimization.
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“Comparing Apples to Oranges: A Taxonomy for Navigating the Global Landscape of AI Regulation” — a comprehensive framework for understanding diverse regulatory approaches.
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“The Next Frontier in Mindreading? Assessing Generative AI’s Social-Cognitive Capabilities Using Dynamic Audiovisual Stimuli” — evaluating Google’s Gemini 1.5 Pro in social cognition tasks.
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“Application of Artificial Intelligence Large Models on Smart Culture and Tourism” — how AI innovates the cultural and tourism sectors.
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“A Practical Guide to Evaluating AI Imaging Models in Scientific Literature” — actionable evaluation methods for clinicians in ophthalmology.
Data for Policy CIC: Driving the Conversation on AI and Governance
At Data for Policy CIC, June has been vibrant with activity. Our global community of researchers, policymakers, and practitioners continues to lead the charge in responsible AI and data governance. Our members’ insightful research and perspectives are prominently featured across our blog and YouTube channel, fueling meaningful dialogues that bridge academia and policy.
Our editorial committees are preparing new special collections and thematic webinar aimed at fostering collaborative innovation worldwide.
Looking back, the Data for Policy 2025 – Europe conference at Leiden University convened over 120 experts to discuss ethical AI, algorithmic governance, and sustainable innovation. Under the leadership of Professors Sarah Giest and Bram Klievink, and supported by our strategic partners, the conference facilitated important discussions shaping future AI governance. The Conference Book of Abstracts is available on Zenodo for those wishing to explore the proceedings in detail. Read more about the conference in this article and the blog post.
Current Opportunities
Call for Contributions Extended: Data for Policy 2025 – Asia Pacific: Join us 23–24 October 2025 at Shanghai Research Institute for Intelligent Autonomous Systems,Tongji University, Shanghai, for this premier event organised in collaboration with The AI Hub in Generative Models, Shanghai Collaborative Innovation Center of AI Social Governance, and Cambridge University Press. Under the theme “Advancing AI: Innovations, Governance, and Ethical Frontiers,” we welcome abstracts, papers, and panels until 7 July 2025. Shape AI policy in the Asia Pacific region — submit today!
Introducing the Data for Policy–Cambridge Global Fellowship Programme: This transformative 12-month executive fellowship combines flexible online learning with an immersive residency at the University of Cambridge. Developed in partnership with the University of Cambridge Centre for Science and Policy (CSaP) and Cambridge University Press, the programme offers in-depth focus on Digital Public Infrastructure, Algorithmic Governance, GovTech, and more. To register your interest and receive updates including when applications open, please complete our brief Expression of Interest form here.
To dive into the full June 2025 newsletter, click here.
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