Artificial intelligence Archives | Page 12 of 673

US SEC outlines roadmap for market growth, digital assets and investor protection

The US Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) has released a draft strategic plan outlining its priorities for the coming years, with a focus on investor protection, market efficiency and capital formation.

The agency is seeking public feedback on the proposal, which also highlights the growing importance of digital assets and emerging technologies within the financial system.

Under the plan, the SEC aims to modernise its regulatory framework by supporting innovation while maintaining market integrity. Among its objectives is the development of a clearer and more consistent regulatory approach to digital assets and distributed ledger technologies, with the aim of providing businesses and investors with greater certainty.

The regulator also intends to strengthen engagement with market participants and review existing rules to improve compliance and effectiveness. The draft plan states that enforcement should focus on fraud, market manipulation and violations of existing laws, rather than relying on expansive interpretations of regulatory authority.

Technology modernisation is also a key component of the strategy, including plans to upgrade legacy systems and expand the use of technologies such as AI and blockchain. According to the SEC, these improvements could enhance oversight capabilities, reduce operational costs, and improve efficiency across the agency.

Why does it matter?

The SEC plays a central role in regulating the world’s largest capital market, making its approach to digital assets and emerging technologies influential beyond the United States. Greater regulatory clarity could affect how businesses develop blockchain-based services, how investors engage with digital assets and how other jurisdictions shape their own regulatory frameworks.

The proposal also signals a broader shift towards integrating AI and advanced technologies into financial supervision, reflecting growing efforts by regulators to adapt to increasingly digital and technology-driven markets.

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New Washington initiative targets legal frameworks for collective cyber defence

A new policy coalition has been launched in Washington to develop frameworks governing collaboration between government agencies and private companies on cyber operations, amid growing concerns that unresolved legal questions are limiting deeper cooperation.

Venable’s Center for Cybersecurity Policy and Law established the Cyber Operations Policy Coalition this week. The coalition aims to bring together industry representatives, government officials, legal experts, academics and civil society organisations to develop policy frameworks for collective cyber defence.

Corporate members include Microsoft, Lumen, Halcyon, Autonomous Cyber, and Voreas Labs. Non-corporate members span think tanks and academic institutions, including the Foundation for Defense of Democracies, the Cyber Threat Alliance, the Institute for Security and Technology, McCrary Institute for Cyber and Critical Infrastructure Security, and American University’s Tech, Law, and Security Program. The International Committee of the Red Cross and the Stimson Center participate as observers.

The coalition is coordinated by Stacy O’Mara and advised by a panel that includes former NSA Cybersecurity Director Rob Joyce, former CISA official Bryan Ware, and former Representative Jim Langevin.

During the launch event, current and former officials identified legal authorities, liability arrangements and operational rules as key areas requiring clarification before public-private cyber collaboration can expand at scale. Katie Sutton, assistant secretary of defence for cyber policy, noted that legal expertise would be central to closer integration, pointing to existing authority frameworks on both the government and industry sides.

Tonya Ugoretz, head of PwC’s Cyber & Risk Innovation Institute, highlighted the need for clearer liability frameworks to enable cyber operations without requiring case-by-case authorisation.

The initiative reflects the structure of the cyber domain, where much of the internet and critical infrastructure is privately owned, making companies both potential targets of cyberattacks and key partners in cyber defence efforts.

Several parallel developments add context to the coalition’s launch. The Joint Cyber Defense Collaborative, the CISA-led body for public-private cyber coordination, is mapping both defensive and potential offensive options for use in geopolitical crisis scenarios involving major infrastructure providers, according to JCDC deputy assistant director Matt Springer.

The US military has also more openly discussed offensive cyber operations in recent months, while Congress is considering a proposal for a dedicated cyber service branch.

The emergence of increasingly capable AI systems with cybersecurity applications has further expanded the range of technical, operational and legal questions facing policymakers.

Why does it matter?

Cybersecurity increasingly depends on cooperation between governments and private companies because much of the infrastructure targeted by cyberattacks is privately owned and operated. However, legal questions surrounding authority, liability and operational responsibilities remain unresolved in many jurisdictions.

The coalition reflects growing recognition that existing frameworks may not be fully suited to large-scale cyber defence efforts, particularly as geopolitical tensions, critical infrastructure threats and AI-enabled cyber capabilities increase. Its work could help shape future approaches to collective cyber defence and public-private cybersecurity cooperation.

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Australia issues guidance for government use of agentic AI

Australia’s Digital Transformation Agency (DTA) has issued an agentic AI addendum to its AI Technical Standard, providing guidance for government agencies exploring, developing or deploying agentic AI systems. The document provides best-practice guidance for agencies exploring, developing, or using agentic AI and states that existing requirements in the AI technical standard remain applicable.

The addendum says agentic AI systems may autonomously plan tasks, coordinate work, and trigger actions in real-world contexts. The addendum notes that agentic AI could improve the responsiveness, efficiency and consistency of public services, particularly in high-volume administrative environments, while also introducing new risks related to oversight, control and system behaviour.

The guidance defines agentic AI as systems capable of perceiving and interpreting their environment, maintaining an internal state, reasoning about objectives and autonomously executing actions within defined permissions and constraints. Agencies are advised to implement human oversight, operational safeguards, continuous evaluation processes and mechanisms that allow systems to be rolled back when necessary.

The addendum sets out guidance across the AI lifecycle, including governance and safeguards, memory management, workflow design, secure data exchange, technology selection, evaluation, tool integration, monitoring, and decommissioning. It also calls for clear human accountability, human-in-the-loop or human-on-the-loop oversight, auditable decision records, and orchestration layers.

The guidance recommends ongoing monitoring of agent behaviour, tool usage, memory functions, operational costs, latency, authorisations and changes in the operating environment. The addendum also recommends centralised oversight mechanisms, referred to as ‘control towers’, and calls for the secure decommissioning of agentic AI resources, including agents, associated data, memory stores, tools and system logs.

Why does it matter?

Agentic AI represents a shift from AI systems that generate outputs in response to prompts to systems capable of planning, coordinating tasks and taking actions with limited human intervention. While these capabilities could improve efficiency and service delivery, they also create new governance, accountability and security challenges.

Australia’s guidance reflects growing international efforts to establish safeguards for increasingly autonomous AI systems. The emphasis on human oversight, auditability and lifecycle governance highlights concerns that public-sector AI deployments must remain transparent, controllable and accountable as the technology evolves.

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New Zealand’s NCSC warns frontier AI could amplify cybersecurity risks

New Zealand’s National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC) has issued guidance to help government agencies prepare for the cybersecurity implications of frontier AI systems. The advisory notes that frontier AI models may enable more advanced automation, reasoning and decision-making capabilities than previous generations of AI systems.

The guidance describes frontier AI as a dual-use technology, noting that the same capabilities that enhance cyber defence could also enable malicious actors to conduct cyber operations more quickly, at lower cost and on a larger scale. The NCSC warns that frontier AI could amplify risks associated with known vulnerabilities, legacy systems and poor cyber hygiene, creating what it describes as a ‘vulnerability storm’ for organisations.

According to the NCSC, organisations do not need access to the most advanced frontier AI models to strengthen their cyber resilience. Instead, it says effective readiness depends on existing cybersecurity mitigations and practices, including the New Zealand Information Security Manual, the NCSC Cyber Security Framework, Minimum Cyber Security Standards, and Protective Security Requirements.

The advisory urges government entities to treat several actions as immediate priorities, including reviewing compliance with existing standards, confirming executive accountability for frontier AI cyber risk, reviewing NCSC guidance, and identifying material gaps that AI-enabled threat actors could exploit.

The guidance also restates the NCSC Cyber Security Framework’s five functions: guide and govern, identify and understand, prevent and protect, detect and contain, and respond and recover. The advisory highlights a range of baseline cybersecurity measures, including risk management, security awareness, secure configuration, patch management, multi-factor authentication, least-privilege access controls, anomaly detection, data recovery and incident response planning.

Why does it matter?

Frontier AI is expected to increase the speed, scale and sophistication of cyber operations, potentially allowing attackers to identify vulnerabilities, automate exploitation and conduct campaigns more efficiently than before.

Rather than relying solely on new AI-specific defences, New Zealand’s guidance emphasises that strong cybersecurity fundamentals, including patching, access controls, monitoring and incident response, remain the most effective way to reduce risk. The advisory reflects a growing international view that AI is amplifying existing cyber challenges rather than replacing them with entirely new ones.

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AI and systemic risk analytics focus of Helsinki conference

The Bank of Finland and the European Systemic Risk Board are holding their 11th joint conference on AI and systemic risk analytics in Helsinki on 3 and 4 June.

The event focuses on how AI methods and new data sources can support financial stability analysis, while also creating new challenges for economies and financial markets.

The conference aims to present research on financial stability and systemic risk analysis using AI methods, novel techniques, and new data sources. Topics include the use of large language models and trustworthy AI, changing interdependencies in financial markets, cybersecurity and operational risks, and AI combined with quantum computing as a possible source of new systemic risks.

The programme also covers more traditional systemic risk analytics and macroprudential policy tools, including early-warning indicators, network and contagion analysis, macro stress-testing, big data analytics, market-based finance, and geopolitical risk modelling.

Speakers include Bank of Finland Governor and ESRB First Vice-Chair Olli Rehn, who will address systemic risk, resilience, and competitiveness in a changing technological landscape. Other sessions will examine systemic cyber risk in financial networks, AI and risk-taking in banking, generative AI in economics and finance research, and AI-related financial system interdependencies.

The hybrid conference will include keynotes, panel discussions, presentations, and poster sessions, with online participation available.

Why does it matter?

The conference shows that AI is becoming a financial stability issue, not only a tool for efficiency or market analysis. Central banks and systemic risk authorities are examining how AI can improve risk detection, stress testing, and data analysis, while also creating new vulnerabilities through cyber risk, operational dependencies, market interconnections, and potential herding behaviour.

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EU proposes Chips Act 2.0 to strengthen semiconductor ecosystem

The European Commission has proposed Chips Act 2.0, a new framework intended to strengthen Europe’s semiconductor ecosystem and build on the original European Chips Act.

The proposal aims to boost the EU’s competitiveness, technological sovereignty, and resilience while improving crisis preparedness in semiconductor supply chains. It forms part of the Commission’s wider European Technological Sovereignty Package, alongside the Cloud and AI Development Act, an Open Source Strategy, and a roadmap for digitalisation and AI in the energy sector.

The Commission says the EU remains structurally dependent on third countries for semiconductor design and manufacturing, including advanced and leading-edge chips needed for AI. It also points to gaps in crisis preparedness, noting that existing mechanisms rely heavily on voluntary information sharing outside crises and do not provide sufficient, timely supply-chain intelligence.

Chips Act 2.0 would support both mainstream and advanced semiconductors, including AI chips. Measures are expected to include stronger research and innovation support, faster permitting, supply-chain information tools, Semiconductor Regions of Excellence, skills investment, strategic projects, and innovation procurement.

The proposal also places greater emphasis on demand-side measures, including support for public procurement and industrial uptake of European semiconductor technologies. The Commission argues that stronger local demand can reinforce local supply, shorten supply chains, and better align European production capacity with the needs of strategic sectors.

The initiative complements the EU’s broader technological sovereignty agenda. The Commission says Chips Act 2.0 should help reduce strategic dependencies, improve security of supply, support industrial scale-up, and strengthen Europe’s role in semiconductor technologies needed for AI, cloud, defence, automotive, energy, and other critical sectors.

Why does it matter?

The Chips Act 2.0 shows how the EU is shifting from an emergency response to the global chip shortage to a broader semiconductor industrial strategy. The proposal links chip policy directly to AI competitiveness, cloud infrastructure, defence, energy, automotive supply chains, and technological sovereignty. Its emphasis on demand-side measures also matters: Europe is not only trying to attract semiconductor production, but also to create stronger domestic markets for European chip technologies.

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India and South Africa deepen cooperation on AI and emerging technologies

India and South Africa have agreed to strengthen bilateral cooperation in emerging technologies, with AI, digital infrastructure and advanced manufacturing identified as key areas for future collaboration.

The agreement was reached during a meeting between India’s Minister of Science and Technology, Dr Jitendra Singh, and South Africa’s Deputy Minister of Science, Technology and Innovation, Dr Nomalungelo Gina. Both sides emphasised the need to expand traditional scientific cooperation into innovation-driven partnerships aimed at delivering economic and societal benefits.

Discussions covered biotechnology, genomics, vaccine development, health technologies, renewable energy, hydrogen, advanced manufacturing and digital innovation. The two countries also explored opportunities to deepen cooperation in quantum technologies, geospatial technologies and digital infrastructure.

The meeting reaffirmed the long-standing scientific relationship between the two countries and concluded with a commitment to strengthen innovation ecosystems through research collaboration, startup partnerships, technology deployment and industry engagement.

Why does it matter?

India and South Africa are among the leading technology and innovation hubs in the Global South. Expanding cooperation in AI, digital infrastructure, healthcare and advanced manufacturing could help accelerate technological development while fostering greater knowledge exchange and investment opportunities.

The partnership also reflects a broader trend of emerging economies seeking to strengthen innovation ecosystems and reduce reliance on technology supply chains and platforms concentrated in a small number of countries.

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UNESCO promotes media literacy as response to online hate speech

UNESCO has announced a new issue brief examining how Media and Information Literacy (MIL) can help address the spread of hate speech, disinformation and other harmful content across digital platforms. The publication will be officially presented on 18 June, the International Day for Countering Hate Speech.

UNESCO argues that addressing online hate speech requires measures that extend beyond content moderation and regulation. According to UNESCO, strengthening critical thinking, ethical awareness and digital skills can help individuals better navigate information environments, assess online content and engage responsibly in digital spaces while respecting human rights and freedom of expression.

The brief presents Media and Information Literacy as a long-term educational approach to strengthening information integrity and building more resilient societies. UNESCO officials emphasise that sustainable solutions depend on combining governance measures with investments in education, digital citizenship and informed engagement with information.

The publication forms part of UNESCO’s wider efforts to promote information integrity and responsible digital governance. A related webinar will examine how digital platforms, AI and generative technologies can amplify harmful narratives and social polarisation, as well as strategies for fostering safer and more inclusive online environments.

Why does it matter?

The spread of hate speech, disinformation and other harmful content remains a major challenge for governments, platforms and civil society. While regulatory and moderation measures often focus on limiting harmful content, UNESCO argues that long-term resilience also depends on strengthening citizens’ ability to critically assess information and engage responsibly online.

The initiative reflects growing international interest in combining platform governance with education, digital literacy and information integrity efforts as societies adapt to the influence of AI-powered content creation and increasingly complex online information environments.

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OpenAI advocates for global action on youth AI safety

OpenAI has called for stronger international action on youth AI safety, including the creation of a dedicated institute to support common evidence, guidance, and safeguards for young users.

Ahead of the G7 Leaders’ Summit in Évian, France, the company said governments, researchers, civil society, and industry should work together to raise standards for safe and age-appropriate AI use by children and teenagers.

OpenAI said a dedicated youth AI safety institute could provide continuity beyond a single summit, helping stakeholders share evidence, develop guidance, and keep standards aligned with fast-moving AI systems. The company said such a body could take the form of a new international institute or an existing or newly created national AI institute with a global mandate.

The principles outlined by OpenAI include privacy-preserving age estimation, default safeguards when a user’s age is uncertain, annual youth safety risk assessments, accessible parental controls, clearer transparency about youth protections, and stronger protocols for serious safety situations involving self-harm, exploitation, grooming, sexually exploitative content, and other high-risk interactions.

The company also called for stronger protection of minors’ personal information, including prohibitions on privacy-invasive targeted advertising to young people and the sale of their personal information. It also said youth safety frameworks should promote AI literacy, learning, creativity, skill development, and future opportunities.

OpenAI said AI tools can help young people understand difficult concepts, practise languages, improve writing, learn to code, organise research, explore creative ideas, and prepare for changing labour markets. However, it argued that safeguards, family and educator guidance, and clear accountability mechanisms such as independent audits should support access.

The proposal builds on existing youth safety initiatives and education partnerships, including work with Common Sense Media, educators, and national education deployments in countries such as Estonia, Greece, and Singapore.

Why does it matter?

Youth AI safety is becoming a central policy issue as children and teenagers increasingly use AI tools for learning, creativity, social interaction, and everyday digital tasks. OpenAI’s proposal adds to pressure for international coordination on age-appropriate design, privacy, parental controls, safety protocols, and independent accountability. The G7 context also shows that youth AI safety is moving from product policy into broader debates over digital governance and education policy.

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UK publishers gain control over Google AI search content

Online publishers in the UK will be able to prevent their content from appearing in Google’s AI-generated search features without losing visibility in traditional search results, following new requirements introduced by the Competition and Markets Authority.

The measures are part of the CMA’s conduct requirements for Google’s search services under the UK’s digital markets competition regime. They are intended to give news organisations and other publishers greater control over how their content is used in AI-powered search products such as AI Overviews and AI Mode.

Publishers have argued that AI-generated summaries can reduce website traffic by providing users with key information directly in search results, limiting the need to visit original articles. Until now, opting out of Google’s AI features could also affect visibility in standard search results, creating a difficult choice for organisations that rely on search traffic to reach readers and generate revenue.

Under the new requirements, Google must give UK website owners more control over how their content and links appear in AI search features. Google will test new tools with selected UK sites before wider rollout, allowing publishers to opt out of AI-generated search features while remaining visible in traditional search results.

Google will also be required to provide clearer attribution and links to the publisher when publisher content appears in AI-generated results. The CMA said the measures are designed to improve transparency, support fairer dealing between publishers and Google, and help users understand where information in AI search results comes from.

The regulator described the measure as a world-first for Google’s search services. Further announcements concerning Google’s search business are expected from the CMA in the coming weeks.

Why does it matter?

The decision addresses one of the central tensions created by AI search: search engines can summarise publishers’ content while reducing users’ incentive to click through to the sources. By separating AI search opt-outs from traditional search visibility, the CMA aims to give publishers greater, more meaningful control without forcing them to sacrifice reach. The case could shape how other regulators approach attribution, content use, traffic diversion, and bargaining power between AI platforms and publishers.

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