May 2026 reflected a fast-moving global policy environment in which AI governance, digital sovereignty, cybersecurity, and public sector transformation continued to converge. Across regions, governments and institutions advanced new strategies to secure technological capability, strengthen infrastructure resilience, and shape emerging international norms for advanced AI systems.
In the UK, the government deepened its Sovereign AI agenda through new investments aimed at accelerating AI-driven scientific discovery and strengthening domestic capability in critical sectors. The King’s Speech 2026 set out a broad digital governance agenda, with priorities spanning cyber resilience, digital identity, and the modernization of public services. Together, these initiatives signal a continued shift toward embedding AI within the core architecture of state capacity, while also responding to escalating cyber and security risks associated with frontier systems.
Across Europe and Asia, international cooperation on digital technologies continued to expand. The EU and Japan strengthened their Digital Partnership, advancing collaboration on AI, semiconductors, and digital infrastructure, while the UK and Australia signed a new agreement focused on frontier AI safety and security risks. The European Commission also progressed implementation of the EU AI Act, opening new consultations and issuing draft guidance on transparency obligations and the definition of high-risk AI systems. At the same time, EU–Africa cooperation and broader global dialogues on AI capacity-building continued to grow, reflecting an increasingly multipolar governance landscape.
Elsewhere, Singapore launched a government AI sandbox with Google to test AI agents in public services, while discussions reportedly advanced between the United States and China on potential AI guardrails for advanced systems. The United Nations also established a new AI Governance for Humanity Lab in Spain, reinforcing efforts to strengthen multilateral coordination on AI governance. Alongside these developments, countries including China, India, Japan, Indonesia, and the Netherlands continued to expand national AI strategies, digital transformation initiatives, and regulatory experimentation.
Industry and infrastructure developments closely mirrored these policy shifts. OpenAI announced plans for a new Singapore AI Lab in partnership with IMDA, while Alibaba advanced its AI chip roadmap amid intensifying competition over compute infrastructure. Anthropic and the Gates Foundation launched a collaboration focused on AI for global health, and a growing number of actors—including governments and private firms—accelerated investment in sovereign compute, AI infrastructure, and public-sector deployment systems.
Selected reports and publications
Key publications this month include the World Bank’s Public Institutions in the Age of AI: Emerging Practices, the OECD’s case study on Korea’s Open Policy Lab, the World Economic Forum’s GovTech Compass 2026, Microsoft’s Global AI Adoption Report, and analyses from The Alan Turing Institute on resilient defence AI systems. Together, these reports highlight a shared shift toward implementation-focused governance frameworks and institutional adaptation in the age of AI.
Recent insights from Data for Policy CIC
A new contribution – Human-AI Governance (HAIG) introduces a trust–utility approach that challenges static, risk-based models of AI governance. Instead of fixed classifications, HAIG conceptualises governance as dynamic configurations of human and machine agency that evolve across contexts, shaped by shifting balances between trust, utility, and control.
Our May Fireside Chat also previewed the upcoming Data for Policy 2026 Conference in Barcelona, focusing on Governance of/with AI: Implications for Data, Infrastructure, and Tech Sovereignty. The session explored emerging challenges in digital statecraft, infrastructure governance, and the Special Track on Digital Statecraft, with submissions open until 1 June 2026.
To read the full May 2026 newsletter, click here.
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