European regulators from Italy, France, and Austria have called for changes to the EU’s Markets in Crypto-Assets Regulation (MiCA). Their proposals aim to fix supervisory gaps, improve cybersecurity, and simplify token white paper approvals.
The regulation, which came into force in December 2024, requires prior authorisation for firms offering crypto-related services in Europe. However, early enforcement has shown significant gaps in how national authorities apply the rules.
Regulators argue these differences undermine investor protection and threaten the stability of the European internal market.
Concerns have also been raised about non-EU platforms serving European clients through intermediaries outside MiCA’s scope. To counter this, authorities recommend restricting such activity and ensuring intermediaries only use platforms compliant with MiCA or equivalent standards.
Additional measures include independent cybersecurity audits, mandatory both before and after authorisation, to bolster resilience against cyber-attacks.
The proposals suggest giving ESMA direct oversight of major crypto providers and centralising white paper filings. Regulators say the changes would boost legal clarity, cut investor risks, and level the field for European firms against global rivals.
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Google has unveiled plans to invest £5 billion (around $6.8 billion) in the UK’s AI economy over the next two years.
An announcement comes just hours before US President Donald Trump’s official visit to the country, during which economic agreements worth more than $10 billion are expected.
The investment will include establishing a new AI data centre in Waltham Cross, Hertfordshire, designed to meet growing demand for services like Google Cloud.
Alongside the facility, funds will be channelled into research and development, capital expenditure, engineering, and DeepMind’s work applying AI to science and healthcare. The project is expected to generate 8,250 annual jobs for British companies.
Google also revealed a partnership with Shell to support grid stability and contribute to the UK’s energy transition. The move highlights the economic and environmental stakes tied to AI expansion, as the UK positions itself as a hub for advanced digital technologies.
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Cryptocurrency groups are urging the Bank of England to abandon proposals that would cap the amount of stablecoins individuals and businesses can hold. Industry leaders argue the measures would leave the UK with stricter oversight than the US and the European Union.
Under the plan, individuals would face limits between £10,000 and £20,000, while businesses would be restricted to about £10 million in systemic stablecoins.
The central bank maintains that caps are needed to protect financial stability and prevent deposit outflows from banks. Executives argue the approach is unworkable and could damage London’s role as an economic hub.
Coinbase executive Tom Duff Gordon warned the limits would harm UK savers and undermine confidence in sterling. Others highlighted practical issues, noting that enforcement could require digital IDs, and pointed out the absence of similar caps on cash or bank accounts.
The Payments Association said the rules’ make no sense’ given how other jurisdictions are approaching stablecoins.
By contrast, the US introduced the GENIUS Act in July, setting licensing and reserve requirements without placing restrictions on holdings. The EU’s MiCA framework also avoids caps, focusing instead on reserves, governance, and regulatory oversight.
Industry voices now caution that the UK risks falling behind its global peers if the BoE proceeds with the current plan.
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The US tech giant, Google, has dismissed over 200 contractors working on its Gemini chatbot and AI Overviews tool. However, this sparks criticism from labour advocates and claims of retaliation against workers pushing for unionisation.
Many affected staff were highly trained ‘super raters’ who helped refine Google’s AI systems, yet were abruptly laid off.
The move highlights growing concerns over job insecurity in the AI sector, where companies depend heavily on outsourced and low-paid contract workers instead of permanent employees.
Workers allege they were penalised for raising issues about inadequate pay, poor working conditions, and the risks of training AI that could eventually replace them.
Google has attempted to distance itself from the controversy, arguing that subcontractor GlobalLogic handled the layoffs rather than the company itself.
Yet critics say that outsourcing allows the tech giant to expand its AI operations without accountability, while undermining collective bargaining efforts.
Labour experts warn that the cuts reflect a broader industry trend in which AI development rests on precarious work arrangements. With union-busting claims intensifying, the dismissals are now seen as part of a deeper struggle over workers’ rights in the digital economy.
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Harvard Medical School researchers have developed an AI tool that could transform drug discovery by identifying multiple drivers of disease and suggesting treatments to restore cells to a healthy state.
The model, called PDGrapher, utilises graph neural networks to map the relationships between genes, proteins, and cellular pathways, thereby predicting the most effective targets for reversing disease. Unlike traditional approaches that focus on a single protein, it considers multiple factors at once.
Trained on datasets of diseased cells before and after treatment, PDGrapher correctly predicted known drug targets and identified new candidates supported by emerging research. The model ranked potential targets up to 35% higher and worked 25 times faster than comparable tools.
Researchers are now applying PDGrapher to complex diseases such as Parkinson’s, Alzheimer’s, and various cancers, where single-target therapies often fail. By identifying combinations of targets, the tool can help overcome drug resistance and expedite treatment design.
Senior author Marinka Zitnik said the ultimate goal is to create a cellular ‘roadmap’ to guide therapy development and enable personalised treatments for patients. After further validation, PDGrapher could become a cornerstone in precision medicine.
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A newly published guide by People Powered and UNDP aims to connect people in their communities through inclusive, locally relevant digital participation platforms. Designed with local governments, civic groups, and organisations in mind, it highlights digital platforms that enable inclusive, action-oriented civic engagement.
According to the UNDP, ‘the guide covers the latest trends, including the integration of AI features, and addresses challenges such as digital inclusion, data privacy, accessibility, and sustainability.’
The guide focuses on actively maintained, publicly available platforms, typically offered through cloud-based software (SaaS) models, and prioritises flexible, multi-purpose tools over single-use options. While recognising the dominance of platforms from wealthier countries, it makes a deliberate effort to feature case studies and tools from the Global Majority.
Political advocacy platforms, internal government tools, and issue-reporting apps are excluded to keep the focus on technologies that drive meaningful public participation. Lastly, the guide emphasises the importance of local context and community empowerment, encouraging a shift from passive input to meaningful public influence in governance.
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The 2026 Adwanted Media Research Awards will feature a new category for Best Use of AI in Research Projects, reflecting the growing importance of this technology in the industry.
Head judge Denise Turner of IPA said AI should be viewed as a tool to expedite workflows, not replace human insight, emphasising that researchers remain essential to interpreting results and posing the right questions.
Route CEO Euan Mackay said AI enables digital twins, synthetic data, and clean-room integrations, shifting researchers’ roles from survey design to auditing and ensuring data integrity in an AI-driven environment.
OMD’s Laura Rowe highlighted AI’s ability to rapidly process raw data, transcribe qualitative research, and extend insights across strategy and planning — provided ethical oversight remains in place.
ITV’s Neil Mortensen called this the start of a ‘gold rush’, urging the industry to use AI to automate tedious tasks while preserving rigorous methods and enabling more time for deep analysis.
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US electricity prices are rising as the energy demands of data centres surge, driven by the rapid growth of AI technologies. The average retail price per kilowatt-hour increased by 6.5% between May 2024 and May 2025, with some states experiencing significantly sharper increases.
Maine saw the sharpest rise in electricity prices at 36.3%, with Connecticut and Utah following closely behind. Utilities are passing on infrastructure costs, including new transmission lines, to consumers. In Northern Virginia, residents could face monthly bill increases of up to $37 by 2040.
Analysts warn that the shift to generative AI will lead to a 160% surge in energy use at data centres by 2030. Water use is also rising sharply, as Google reported its facilities consumed around 6 billion gallons in 2024 alone, amid intensifying global AI competition.
Tech giants are turning to alternative energy to keep pace. Google has announced plans to power data centres with small nuclear reactors through a partnership with Kairos Power, while Microsoft and Amazon are ramping up nuclear investments to secure long-term supply.
President Donald Trump has pledged more than $92 billion in AI and energy infrastructure investments, underlining Washington’s push to ensure the US remains competitive in the AI race despite mounting strain on the grid and water resources.
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As AI tools such as ChatGPT become more common among students, schools and colleges report that some educators see assignments done at home as almost sure to involve AI. Educators say take-home writing tasks and traditional homework risk being devalued.
Teachers and students are confused over what constitutes legitimate versus dishonest AI use. Some students use AI to outline, edit, or translate texts. Others avoid asking for guidance about AI usage because rules vary by classroom, and admitting AI help might lead to accusations.
Schools are adapting by shifting towards in-class writing, verbal assessments and locked-down work environments.
Faculty at institutions, like the University of California, Berkeley and Carnegie Mellon, have started to issue updated syllabus templates that spell out AI expectations, including bans, approvals or partial allowances.
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The UK government is expanding its use of AI across prisons, probation and courts to monitor offenders, assess risk and prevent crime before it occurs under the AI Action Plan.
One key measure involves an AI violence prediction tool that uses factors like an offender’s age, past violent incidents and institutional behaviour to identify those most likely to pose risk.
These predictions will inform decisions to increase supervision or relocate prisoners in custody wings ahead of potential violence.
Another component scans seized mobile phone content to highlight secret or coded messages that may signal plotting of violent acts, intelligence operations or contraband activities.
Officials are also working to merge offender records across courts, prisons and probation to create a single digital identity for each offender.
UK authorities say the goal is to reduce reoffending and prioritise public and staff safety, while shifting resources from reactive investigations to proactive prevention. Civil liberties groups caution about privacy, bias and the risk of overreach if transparency and oversight are not built in.
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