Regulatory uncertainty has long shaped life sciences, but 2025 marked a shift in expectations. Authorities are focusing more on how companies operate in practice. Enforcement activity continues to signal sustained scrutiny.
Regulators across federal and state agencies are coordinating more closely. Attention is centred on digital system validation, AI-supported documentation, reimbursement processes, and third-party oversight. Flexibility in digital tools is no longer assumed.
Inspection priorities now extend beyond manufacturing quality. Regulators are examining governance of automated analyses, review of AI-generated records, and data consistency in decentralised trials. Clear documentation is becoming critical.
A similar shift is visible in reimbursement and data oversight. Authorities want insight into governance behind pricing, reporting, and data handling. Privacy enforcement now focuses on data flows, AI training data, and third-party access.
Looking ahead to 2026, scrutiny is expected to intensify around AI inspection standards and data sharing. Regulators are signalling higher expectations for transparency and accountability. Sound judgement and consistency may prove decisive.
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Seasonal influenza remains a significant global health burden, causing millions of severe infections and significant mortality each year, according to World Health Organisation estimates released in early 2025.
In several regions, flu activity has returned to or surpassed pre-pandemic levels, placing older adults, young children, and individuals with chronic conditions at the highest risk. Such patterns reinforce the need for improved prevention strategies and more effective vaccines.
Efforts to control influenza are challenged by the virus’s rapid mutation and the limitations of traditional laboratory methods. AI and machine learning are emerging as powerful tools for predicting antigenic changes, enhancing vaccine strain selection, and accelerating manufacturing.
Beyond vaccine development, AI-driven models are enhancing infection monitoring and immune response analysis by leveraging routine clinical data. These advances enhance surveillance and pave the way for personalised influenza prevention and treatment.
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Teenagers account for most of the serious threats reported against supermarket staff across South Island stores, according to a privacy report released on Foodstuffs South Island’s facial recognition trial.
The company is testing the technology in three Christchurch supermarkets to identify only adult repeat offenders, rather than minors, even though six out of the ten worst offenders are under eighteen.
A system that creates a biometric template of every shopper at the trial stores and deletes it if there is no match with a watchlist. Detections remain stored within the Auror platform for seven years, while personal images are deleted on the same day.
The technology is supplied by the Australian firm Vix Vizion, in collaboration with Auror, which is already known for its vehicle plate recognition systems.
Foodstuffs argues the trial is justified by rising threatening and violent behaviour towards staff across all age groups.
A previous North Island pilot scanned 226 million faces and generated more than 1700 alerts, leading the Privacy Commissioner of New Zealand to conclude that strong safeguards could reduce privacy intrusion to an acceptable level.
The watchlist only includes adults previously involved in violence or serious threats, and any matches undergo human checks before action is taken.
Foodstuffs continues to provide regular updates to the Office of the Privacy Commissioner as the South Island trial proceeds.
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An EU-funded project, AIOLIA, is examining how Europe’s approach to trustworthy AI can be applied in practice. Principles such as transparency and accountability are embedded in the AI Act’s binding rules. Turning those principles into design choices remains difficult.
The project focuses on closing that gap by analysing how AI ethics is applied in real systems. Its work supports the implementation of AI Act requirements beyond legal text. Lessons are translated into practical training.
Project coordinator Alexei Grinbaum argues that ethical principles vary widely by context. Engineers are expected to follow them, but implications differ across systems. Bridging the gap requires concrete examples.
AIOLIA analyses ten use cases across multiple domains involving professionals and citizens. The project examines how organisations operationalise ethics under regulatory and organisational constraints. Findings highlight transferable practices without a single model.
Training is central to the initiative, particularly for EU ethics evaluators and researchers working under the AI Act framework. As AI becomes more persuasive, risks around manipulation grow. AIOLIA aims to align ethical language with daily decisions.
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AI is becoming central to Vietnam’s urban development as major cities adopt data-led systems. Leaders at the Vietnam–Asia Smart City Summit said AI now shapes planning, service delivery and daily operations nationwide.
Experts noted rising pressure on cities, with congestion, pollution and population growth driving demand for more innovative governance. AI is helping authorities shift towards proactive management, using forecasting tools, shared data platforms and real-time supervision.
Speakers highlighted deployments across transport control, environmental monitoring, disaster alerts and administrative oversight. Hanoi and Da Nang presented advanced models, with Da Nang recognised again for achievements in green development and digital operations.
Delegates agreed that long-term progress depends on strong data foundations, closer coordination and clear strategic roadmaps in Vietnam. Many stressed that technology must prioritise public benefit, with citizens placed at the centre of smart-city design.
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Florida lawmakers are preparing a sweeping AI Bill of Rights as political debates intensify. Senator Tom Leek introduced a proposal to provide residents with clearer safeguards while regulating how firms utilise advanced systems across the state.
The plan outlines parental control over minors’ interactions with AI and requires disclosure when people engage with automated systems. It also sets boundaries on political advertising created with AI and restricts state contracts with suppliers linked to countries of concern.
Governor Ron DeSantis maintains Florida can advance its agenda despite federal attempts to curb state-level AI rules. He argues the state has the authority to defend consumers while managing the rising costs of new data centre developments.
Democratic lawmakers have raised concerns about young users forming harmful online bonds with AI companions, prompting calls for stronger protections. The legislation now forms part of a broader clash over online safety, privacy rights and fast-growing AI industries.
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Canada’s productivity gap is expected to accelerate nationwide adoption of AI in 2026, according to leading legal and industry experts. Businesses and governments are moving from experimentation to deployment as pressure mounts to improve economic performance.
Canada retains strong research credentials and a responsible AI culture, yet still trails in compute capacity and commercial scaling. Major investments scheduled for 2026 are expected to support emerging demand across sectors.
Firms are seeking clearer national rules to guide the safe adoption of AI, especially regarding privacy and governance. Ottawa’s recent research and talent programme aims to attract global experts and strengthen commercial pathways.
Industry leaders expect AI agents to gain prominence by 2027, increasing the need for human oversight and trust. Policymakers and companies are urged to strike a balance between rapid innovation and clarity, confidence, and long-term productivity goals.
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Apple has been fined €98 million by Italy’s competition authority after regulators concluded that its App Tracking Transparency framework distorted competition in the app store market.
Authorities stated that the policy strengthened Apple’s dominant position while limiting how third-party developers collect advertising data.
The investigation found that developers were required to request consent multiple times for the same data processing purposes, creating friction that disproportionately affected competitors.
Regulators in Italy argued that equivalent privacy protections could have been achieved through a single consent mechanism instead of duplicated prompts.
According to the Italian authority, the rules were imposed unilaterally across the App Store ecosystem and harmed commercial partners reliant on targeted advertising. The watchdog also questioned whether the policy was proportionate from a data protection perspective under the EU law.
Apple rejected the findings and confirmed plans to appeal, stating that App Tracking Transparency prioritises user privacy over the interests of ad technology firms.
The decision follows similar penalties and warnings issued in France and Germany, reinforcing broader European scrutiny of platform governance.
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Researchers at the University of Tartu and Better Medicine developed an AI tool that speeds up kidney cancer detection and aids radiologists in analysing CT scans. The system, BMVision, was validated in a study published in Nature Communications Medicine.
BMVision utilises machine learning to identify both malignant and benign lesions, enabling radiologists to detect tumours faster and more accurately. In trials at Tartu University Hospital, six radiologists reviewed 200 CT scans with and without AI assistance.
Results showed that AI reduced detection and reporting time by roughly one third, while maintaining high diagnostic accuracy.
The tool complements radiologists, letting them focus on complex cases and improve patient outcomes. CE marking confirms BMVision meets European standards, making it the first commercial AI tool for early kidney cancer detection.
BMVision is now being integrated into clinical workflows at Tartu University Hospital, with the potential to process all abdominal CT scans in the future. Experts say the system demonstrates how AI can make a meaningful impact in routine medical practice and improve early cancer diagnosis.
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Almost 3.5 million students, staff and suppliers linked to the University of Phoenix have been affected by a data breach tied to a sophisticated cyber extortion campaign. The incident followed unauthorised access to internal systems, exposing highly sensitive personal and financial information.
Investigations indicate attackers exploited a zero-day vulnerability in Oracle E-Business Suite, a widely used enterprise financial application. The breach surfaced publicly after the Clop ransomware group listed the university on its leak site, prompting internal reviews and regulatory disclosures.
Compromised data includes names, contact details, dates of birth, social security numbers and banking information. University officials have confirmed that affected individuals are being notified, while filings with US regulators outline the scale and nature of the incident.
The attack forms part of a broader wave of intrusions targeting American universities and organisations using Oracle platforms. As authorities offer rewards for intelligence on Clop’s operations, the breach highlights growing risks facing educational institutions operating complex digital infrastructures.
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