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Dublin International AI Summit to spotlight Europe’s AI ambitions

Ireland will host the International AI Summit in Dublin on 14 October 2026 as the official launch of European AI Innovation Month during its Presidency of the Council of the European Union.

The summit will take place at the Royal Dublin Society under the theme ‘Harnessing AI to Revolutionise Europe’s Competitiveness’. It is intended as a high-level platform for discussion, collaboration, and strategic dialogue on AI opportunities in Europe and globally.

The event will bring together EU and global leaders, heads of government, CEOs, investors, innovators, academics, policymakers, industry representatives, and AI experts. Confirmed speakers include European Commission Executive Vice-President for Technological Sovereignty, Security and Democracy Henna Virkkunen.

The programme will include ministerial addresses, keynote speeches, panel discussions, and fireside chats on Europe’s AI future. Topics will include competitiveness, trustworthy AI, digital infrastructure, investment, skills, and talent development.

The summit will also feature European-focused sector discussions on AI opportunities across the economy and society. Sessions are expected to highlight examples of AI adoption and collaboration by businesses, public services, and research institutions.

Ireland said the event builds on its role as a European technology hub, noting that 16 of the world’s top 20 global technology companies and eight leading providers of foundational AI models have their main EU establishment in the country.

The summit is also linked to Ireland’s updated National Digital and AI Strategy, ‘Digital Ireland – Connecting our People, Securing our Future’, which places AI and digital transformation at the centre of economic and innovation policy.

A full programme, additional speakers, registration details, and an expression of interest for enterprises seeking to join the Innovation Spotlight Exhibition will be announced later.

Why does it matter?

The summit gives Ireland a platform to shape Europe’s AI competitiveness debate during its EU Council Presidency. Its focus on trustworthy AI, infrastructure, investment, skills, and sectoral adoption reflects the EU’s broader challenge: turning regulatory leadership and research capacity into stronger deployment, productivity, and industrial competitiveness.

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Spain approves draft law adapting the EU AI Act into national legislation

Spain’s Council of Ministers has approved a draft Organic Law aimed at adapting the EU AI Act into the country’s national legal framework.

Digital Transformation and Public Service Minister Óscar López said the draft law will now be sent to the Cortes for parliamentary consideration. The proposal establishes obligations for AI providers and introduces requirements for human oversight of AI systems.

The draft law incorporates the EU AI Act’s risk-based classification framework into Spanish legislation while establishing sanctions, governance structures, and supervisory authorities.

López said the law follows Spain’s approach to AI regulation, including human oversight, algorithmic transparency, protection of minors, and data privacy. López rejected the idea that regulation undermines competitiveness, pointing to Spain’s broader AI strategy and investment initiatives.

The minister said the EU AI Act includes prohibitions covering subliminal techniques, exploitation of vulnerabilities, biometric classification, social scoring, predictive surveillance, emotion recognition, facial scraping, and real-time identification. He added that, following a request from Spain, the EU agreed on 7 May to add prohibitions on AI-generated sexual deepfakes and AI-generated child sexual abuse material.

The draft law designates Spain’s Artificial Intelligence Supervisory Agency, based in A Coruña, as the central authority. Other market surveillance authorities will also have roles, including the Bank of Spain for financial systems, the Spanish Data Protection Agency for data-related matters, and the General Council of the Judiciary for justice-related issues.

The proposal promotes responsible AI use in the state public sector, including stronger requirements for AI models and transparency in public administration, as well as the creation of an AI officer role. The law also sets rules for AI regulatory sandboxes and measures intended to help AI providers comply with the legislation.

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France and South Korea team up on AI data protection

The French data protection authority CNIL and South Korea’s Personal Information Protection Commission have jointly developed a poster to raise awareness of privacy risks linked to generative AI.

The initiative builds on their ongoing cooperation under a memorandum of understanding signed in October 2022 and follows a previous joint poster on children’s and adolescents’ right to self-determination over personal data.

The new poster, titled ‘Generative AI and Privacy’, provides practical guidance on how users can protect their personal data before, during, and after using generative AI services. CNIL said the material is designed to be easy to understand as generative AI becomes more widely used across age groups.

Both authorities said that generative AI offers new opportunities but also poses challenges for personal data protection, particularly for teenagers and young users. The poster is available in Korean, French, and English, and may be translated into other languages upon request from interested data protection authorities.

CNIL and PIPC said they will promote and use the poster through various initiatives, including online and offline distribution to middle and high schools, social networking service posts, and events.

The two authorities also agreed to continue strengthening international cooperation and policy collaboration, especially to protect children’s and adolescents’ personal data as generative AI expands.

Why does it matter?

The initiative shows how data protection authorities are using public-awareness tools to respond to everyday privacy risks created by generative AI. While it is not a regulatory measure, the cooperation between CNIL and PIPC highlights growing attention to youth data protection, AI literacy, and cross-border coordination between privacy regulators.

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US Census Bureau reports higher AI adoption among larger firms

The US Census Bureau has published new findings from its Business Trends and Outlook Survey, showing that AI use among US businesses remained between 17% and 20% from December 2025 to May 2026.

The survey also found that between 20% and 23% of businesses expected to use AI within the next six months. The data were collected between 14 December 2025 and 3 May 2026 and provide a biweekly, nationally representative view of AI implementation across US businesses.

AI adoption was higher among larger firms. Around 37% of businesses with at least 250 employees reported using AI in their operations, while 32% of firms with 100 to 249 employees reported AI use during the data collection period ending 3 May 2026.

The Census Bureau said AI use increased among firms with at least 20 employees between December 2025 and May 2026, but did not change significantly among firms with fewer than 20 employees. Less than 20% of firms with four or fewer employees reported using AI.

Sector-level findings showed that AI use remained above the national average in the Information and Finance and Insurance sectors. As of 3 May 2026, AI use reached 39.7% in Information and 33.9% in Finance and Insurance, compared with a national rate of 19.8%.

Retail Trade businesses reported lower adoption rates, with around 14% currently using AI and about 17% expecting to use it within six months.

The Census Bureau also noted that its updated AI supplement now measures AI use across 15 business functions, including finance, human resources, customer service, marketing, information technology, and research and development. The supplement also examines AI-related operational changes, including training, workflow adjustments, and technology investments.

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New Zealand issues AI guidance to speed up regulatory work

New Zealand’s Ministry for Regulation in New Zealand has issued guidance encouraging public regulators to adopt AI for low-risk administrative tasks while maintaining human oversight and accountability. The guidance highlights low-risk uses, including case triage, prioritisation, and structured data validation. The framework is designed to help public agencies work faster while maintaining accountability and human oversight.

Officials stressed that AI should support rather than replace human judgement in regulatory decision-making. The document states that legal interpretation and final accountability must remain with human decision-makers, particularly in high-risk or complex cases.

The guidance also warns that introducing AI into poorly designed regulatory systems could amplify existing inefficiencies rather than resolve them.

The framework presents AI adoption as a strategic governance issue rather than solely a technical upgrade. Regulators are encouraged to establish clear objectives, safeguards, and accountability mechanisms, including transparency, fairness, privacy protections, and alignment with Te Tiriti o Waitangi principles.

Why does it matter?

New Zealand’s approach highlights a wider global shift where governments are using AI to improve public sector efficiency, but only within tightly defined boundaries. The focus on low-risk uses and human oversight reflects a growing view that automation can improve efficiency without replacing legal accountability.

The guidance also underscores a structural reality: AI can amplify existing strengths or weaknesses in regulatory systems. Countries that fail to modernise risk scaling inefficiencies, while strong oversight can help AI improve consistency, transparency and service delivery.

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Swiss IGF to tackle AI and digital sovereignty

The Swiss Internet Governance Forum will hold its 2026 meeting in Bern on 16 June, with discussions covering AI governance, cybersecurity, digital sovereignty, digital public infrastructure, platform regulation, and other internet governance issues.

The eleventh Swiss IGF will take place at Welle 7 and online, with registration open until 9 June. The forum is now organised by the Swiss Internet & Digital Governance Association, which describes itself as a neutral multistakeholder platform for internet and digital governance in Switzerland.

The draft programme includes sessions on digital sovereignty, cybersecurity and resilience, AI governance and regulation, digital work and education, e-government and democracy, AI and sustainability, digital public infrastructure, and platform regulation and child protection.

The programme also includes a lightning talk on the road to the Geneva 2027 AI Summit, linking the national forum to broader discussions on global AI governance.

The Swiss IGF is part of the wider UN Internet Governance Forum process, while EuroDIG serves as the regional European forum within that ecosystem. The 2026 Swiss IGF will conclude with the presentation of ‘Messages from Berne’ and contributions from the Swiss Youth IGF.

The Swiss Youth IGF will take place in Bern on 13 June as a capacity-building activity linked to the year-round IGF process. It provides an open platform for young people in Switzerland to discuss internet governance and develop messages and projects. The youth forum will focus on digital literacy, safety, and well-being, including generative AI, social media, and influence culture.

Why does it matter?

The Swiss IGF agenda reflects how national internet governance discussions are increasingly centred on AI governance, digital sovereignty, cybersecurity, platform regulation, and digital public infrastructure. Its link to the Geneva 2027 AI Summit also positions the Swiss debate within broader global discussions on AI governance and the future of multistakeholder internet governance.

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Australia’s ASD outlines AI opportunities and risks in cyber defence

The Australian Signals Directorate (ASD) has published new guidance outlining how organisations can use AI to strengthen cyber defence while managing risks associated with AI adoption.

According to ASD, malicious actors are increasingly using AI to scale and accelerate cyber operations, including reconnaissance, vulnerability analysis, and the generation of tailored malicious content. The guidance warns that AI may lower technical barriers for less experienced threat actors and shorten the time between vulnerability discovery and exploitation.

ASD says AI can support cyber defence by improving threat detection, vulnerability analysis, incident response, and prioritisation of security risks. However, ASD stresses that AI should complement rather than replace existing cybersecurity practices and controls.

The guidance maps AI use in cyber defence to six Information Security Manual functions: Govern, Identify, Protect, Detect, Respond, and Recover. Suggested uses include analysing supply chain risks, improving asset discovery, prioritising hardening actions, scanning source code, detecting anomalous behaviour, supporting incident triage, and assisting restoration planning.

The guidance also addresses so-called ‘agentic AI’ systems capable of autonomous planning and decision-making, warning that such technologies require clear operational limits, sandboxing, and strong human oversight. ASD warns that such systems require careful adoption, clear limits, permissions, sandboxing, and strong human oversight.

Organisations adopting AI for cybersecurity are advised to apply a strong baseline aligned with the Information Security Manual and Essential Eight. ASD recommends protecting AI systems from prompt injection, model evasion, and model extraction, while ensuring least-privilege access, auditability, secure integration, and validation of AI-assisted outputs.

ASD also recommends that organisations assess AI and cybersecurity vendors against criteria including explainability, human oversight, resilience, supply-chain dependencies, fallback mechanisms, and data protection practices.

ASD concludes that AI can strengthen cyber defence when deployed securely and responsibly, but warns that poorly governed systems may introduce new vulnerabilities and operational risks.

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Anthropic co-founder discusses AI ethics after Pope Leo XIV’s encyclical

Anthropic co-founder Chris Olah warned that frontier AI development is increasingly shaped by commercial and geopolitical pressures. He said that during remarks delivered at the Vatican presentation of Pope Leo XIV’s new AI-focused encyclical Magnifica humanitas.

Speaking in Vatican City, Olah said advanced AI systems raise questions extending beyond computer science and engineering into ethics, philosophy, governance, and public policy. He argued that decisions surrounding AI systems and their societal impact should involve broader participation from public institutions and civil society rather than remaining concentrated within technology companies alone.

Olah also highlighted concerns about the social and economic effects of AI deployment, including possible labour-market disruption and unequal distribution of AI-related economic benefits. According to Olah, advanced AI development remains concentrated in a limited number of countries and organisations, while mechanisms for broader distribution of benefits remain unclear.

The remarks also addressed ongoing scientific uncertainty surrounding the internal behaviour of advanced AI systems. Olah said researchers continue to identify complex and not yet fully understood patterns within large AI models. He noted that some researchers have drawn comparisons between certain AI model behaviours and aspects of human cognition, while stressing the need for continued research and public scrutiny.

The remarks echoed themes from Pope Leo XIV’s encyclical Magnifica humanitas, which called for stronger safeguards around AI governance, accountability, and protection of human dignity.

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YouthDig participants urge stronger youth role in shaping digital policy at EuroDIG 2026

Youth participants at EuroDIG 2026 called for stronger protections around AI, surveillance, children’s rights, accessibility, labour conditions, and digital inclusion, while urging policymakers to involve young people more directly in shaping internet governance and digital policy.

The session focused on presenting the outcomes of YouthDig 2025, EuroDIG’s youth dialogue on internet governance, which brings together young participants from across Europe and neighbouring regions to discuss digital policy issues and draft collective policy messages.

Florence Ranson opened the session by explaining that the discussion aimed to provide a more detailed presentation of the youth messages developed during the YouthDig programme. Frances Douglas-Thompson, member of the EuroDIG Programme Committee, described YouthDig as a preparatory process that combines policy discussions, capacity-building activities, and long-term community-building among young people interested in internet governance.

Organisers said YouthDig 2025 received around 400 applications and brought together 30 participants onsite in Brussels from diverse academic, professional, and geographic backgrounds. Participants included students, academics, civil servants, local politicians, and representatives from public institutions.

The programme included preparatory webinars and in-person discussions focused on AI, online child safety, AI in public services, healthcare, environmental impacts of digital technologies, disinformation, state surveillance, internet shutdowns, and democratic resilience.

Somaya Louhmadi, YouthDIG organiser/presenter, explained that one part of the programme involved crisis simulations addressing deepfakes and AI-driven election manipulation scenarios, while other sessions focused on privacy, cookies, and digital rights from a human rights perspective.

YouthDIG representatives Cecile Vicquery and Liana Vasil then presented the collective policy messages drafted during the event. Participants highlighted concerns surrounding data ownership, profiling, surveillance, algorithmic bias, workplace protections, and AI’s impact on vulnerable groups.

The youth messages also called for stronger digital literacy, protections for children’s data, mental health support related to social media use, accessibility for persons with disabilities and older users, improved rural connectivity, and greater transparency around AI-generated content.

Participants further raised concerns about the environmental and labour impacts associated with digital infrastructure and AI supply chains, including the working conditions of content moderators and resource extraction workers.

On disinformation and AI-generated content, the youth group proposed stronger media literacy initiatives, clearer labelling of AI-generated images and videos, and safeguards against harmful uses of AI systems.

Responding to the youth presentations, Fabrizia Benini of the European Commission said young people’s perspectives should play a more direct role in policymaking and linked the discussion to broader EU youth dialogue initiatives and debates on human-centric digital transformation.

Sophie Kwasny of the Council of Europe highlighted the participants’ focus on power structures, vulnerability, surveillance, and social consequences of digital governance. She also encouraged young people to make use of existing legal and institutional frameworks related to privacy, data protection, and human rights.

Both speakers stressed that youth participation should go beyond symbolic representation and involve meaningful co-design of digital policy processes.

The discussion also reflected on the challenges of reaching consensus within multistakeholder discussions. Participants explained that differences in educational, cultural, and stakeholder backgrounds sometimes made agreement on specific policy solutions difficult, particularly around normative questions linked to regulation and digital rights.

The session concluded with calls for young people to remain active in digital policy debates, build stronger networks, and continue engaging with existing institutional and governance processes.

EuroDIG 2026 takes place on 26 and 27 May at the Charlemagne Building of the European Commission in Brussels under the theme ‘European Voices for the Future of the Internet – Celebrating 20 Years of .eu and the Beginning of a New Internet Governance Era’.

Digital Watch Observatory is following EuroDIG 2026 through a dedicated event page, featuring session information and reporting from Brussels.

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Netherlands leads Europe’s accelerating AI race

The Netherlands continues to lead Europe in AI adoption, with 61% of Dutch companies using AI compared with a European average of 54%, according to the ‘Unlocking the Netherlands’ AI Potential’ report by Strand Partners, commissioned by Amazon Web Services.

Adoption has risen from 49% a year earlier, reflecting the growing use of AI tools across Dutch businesses. Companies already using AI report measurable benefits, with 80% saying innovation has accelerated over the past two years and 76% reporting productivity improvements. Another 81% expect AI to contribute to business growth over the next year.

Despite the rapid uptake, only 23% of companies said they were prepared for next-generation systems such as agentic AI, pointing to a widening gap between basic adoption and advanced readiness.

Most organisations remain in the early stages of deployment, relying largely on public chatbots and off-the-shelf tools. Sectors including public administration, healthcare, and construction continue to lag, while start-ups stand out as an exception, with 83% saying they are ready for advanced AI technologies.

The report also identified structural barriers slowing longer-term progress. Skills shortages remain the biggest challenge, with companies reporting gaps in AI expertise, cybersecurity, and data analysis. Rising compliance costs and limited financing are also affecting adoption.

At the same time, Dutch businesses increasingly view digital sovereignty, data protection, and access to global technology infrastructure as important for maintaining Europe’s AI competitiveness.

Why does it matter?

The findings suggest that Europe’s AI competitiveness will depend not only on adoption rates but also on whether companies can move from basic AI tools to more advanced systems that reshape workflows, decision-making, and productivity. The Dutch case highlights a wider European challenge: closing skills, investment, and infrastructure gaps while balancing innovation, regulation, data protection, and reliance on global technology providers.

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