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UK financial regulators highlight operational risks linked to frontier AI

Bank of England, Financial Conduct Authority and HM Treasury have issued a joint statement warning regulated firms about escalating cybersecurity risks associated with frontier AI models.

The authorities said current frontier AI systems already possess cyber capabilities that may exceed those of skilled practitioners in some areas while operating at greater speed and scale. According to the statement, malicious use of these capabilities could increase risks to financial stability, market integrity, customers, and firms’ operational resilience.

UK regulators warned that firms underinvesting in cybersecurity protections may face increased exposure as more advanced AI systems emerge. The statement said regulated firms and financial market infrastructures should strengthen resilience against AI-driven cyber threats.

The guidance highlighted several priority areas, including governance, vulnerability management, third-party and supply-chain risks, data protection, network security, and recovery planning. The authorities urged boards and senior management teams to improve their understanding of frontier AI cyber risks.

Bank of England, Financial Conduct Authority and HM Treasury also warned that frontier AI models could rapidly identify and exploit vulnerabilities across complex technology estates, forcing firms to accelerate patching, remediation, and threat-detection processes. Firms were encouraged to deploy automation and AI-enabled defensive tools capable of responding at a comparable speed to emerging AI-driven attacks.

The statement additionally emphasised growing risks linked to third-party providers, open-source software dependencies, and supply-chain exposure. Regulators said firms should strengthen capabilities to identify, monitor, and manage vulnerabilities linked to third-party providers and software dependencies.

The authorities confirmed they will continue monitoring AI developments and coordinating with industry through the Cross Market Operational Resilience Group.

Why does it matter?

The financial sector increasingly depends on interconnected digital infrastructure, cloud services, AI systems, and third-party software supply chains. Frontier AI could dramatically accelerate both offensive cyber capabilities and defensive security operations, creating a rapidly evolving threat environment where traditional cybersecurity practices may no longer be sufficient.

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South Korea expands international outreach on AI copyright guidance

South Korea’s Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism has released an English version of its guide on fair use for training generative AI models. The document outlines how copyrighted materials may be used under existing legal frameworks for AI training purposes.

The guide outlines four legal factors used to assess fair use, including purpose, type of work, amount used, and market impact. According to the guide, AI training may qualify as fair use in some cases where it creates new value and does not negatively affect existing markets.

The guide provides examples of uses that may or may not qualify as fair use under current copyright rules. According to the guide, systems that reproduce substantial copyrighted content without transformation are less likely to qualify as fair use.

The ministry said it plans to discuss the guide internationally, including through cooperation initiatives linked to the World Intellectual Property Organization, as part of broader policy engagement efforts in Seoul, South Korea.

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Indian science ministry outlines AI and quantum technology priorities

India’s Ministry of Science and Technology has outlined a strategy placing AI and quantum sovereignty at the centre of future growth, according to statements by Jitendra Singh. The announcement was made during a programme hosted by the Technology Development Board.

Minister Jitendra Singh said long-term progress in deep technology depends on a coordinated national approach. The minister linked the strategy to the Research, Development and Innovation Fund scheme, which aims to expand private-sector participation in research and innovation.

According to officials, five projects were approved under the scheme in areas including battery technology, satellite systems, healthcare, and unmanned aerial systems. Initial funding disbursement has begun, alongside the release of progress reports and outlining a national quantum safe ecosystem.

Officials said post-quantum cryptography and secure digital infrastructure are emerging priorities under the National Quantum Mission. The announcements were made during a programme hosted by the Technology Development Board in New Delhi, India.

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SAIFA project launched to support AI and high-performance computing in Serbia

The School of Electrical Engineering at the University of Belgrade has announced the launch of SAIFA, the Serbian Artificial Intelligence Factory Antenna, supported by the EuroHPC Joint Undertaking. According to the organisers, the project forms part of a broader EU initiative focused on interconnected AI and high-performance computing environments.

SAIFA is intended to expand access to AI and computing resources for academia, public administration, startups, and industry. It also aims to integrate national expertise into the broader European AI ecosystem through collaboration, application development, and knowledge exchange.

Project leadership highlighted SAIFA as both a continuation of ongoing work in advanced computing and a step towards stronger regional cooperation within the EU. The initiative includes partners from research, innovation, and government sectors.

A consortium of institutions, including research institutes and government bodies, will support the project’s development and implementation. The launch event and initial meeting took place in Belgrade, Serbia.

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UNESCO expands online course on AI and digital citizenship

UNESCO has launched the second edition of its free Massive Open Online Course focused on digital citizenship and AI, following the first programme, which attracted more than 23,000 registered participants.

The course, titled ‘Educating in the Age of Artificial Intelligence: Digital Citizenship from the Classroom’, is expanding internationally through the introduction of a new English-language version alongside its existing Spanish programme. Classes for both versions are scheduled to begin on 15 June 2026.

UNESCO said the initiative aims to help educators, schools, and broader communities better understand how AI systems affect everyday life, democratic participation, and digital environments. According to UNESCO, the course examines algorithms, digital ethics, online behaviour, information integrity, and societal aspects of AI.

The programme covers digital citizenship topics, including disinformation, digital footprints, online participation, and protection of rights in digital spaces.

UNESCO highlighted the importance of analytical skills, critical thinking, and ethical reflection in relation to emerging technologies.

The course includes five thematic modules covering algorithms, AI in education, and the role of digital systems in communication and public discourse. Participants will engage with videos, expert discussions, case studies, and collaborative forums throughout the programme.

Why does it matter?

Educational systems globally are increasingly under pressure to prepare citizens for digital environments shaped by AI, algorithmic recommendation systems, synthetic media, and automated decision-making. Digital literacy is gradually evolving beyond technical competence into a broader set of civic, ethical, and critical thinking skills connected to democratic participation and societal resilience.

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WEF highlights cybersecurity as a strategic economic priority in the AI era

The World Economic Forum said cybersecurity is rapidly evolving into a strategic economic and national security priority as AI systems, geopolitical tensions, and increasingly interconnected digital ecosystems reshape global cyber risks.

During the Annual Meeting on Cybersecurity 2026 held in Geneva, participants discussed how cyber threats are increasingly affecting economic activity, supply chains, financial systems, and critical infrastructure.

The forum said large-scale cyber incidents can disrupt national economies and critical infrastructure. The report referenced a major 2025 cyberattack that disrupted UK automotive production and reportedly contributed to weaker GDP growth, with estimated economic losses reaching approximately £1.9 billion.

WEF argued that organisations are increasingly abandoning compliance-driven cybersecurity models in favour of measurable resilience strategies focused on rapid recovery, operational continuity, incident response readiness, and stronger governance structures.

AI featured heavily throughout the discussions. The forum warned that attackers are using AI almost universally, allowing cyber operations to become faster, more autonomous, and more scalable. Leaders also highlighted emerging risks linked to agentic AI systems, software supply chain vulnerabilities, and quantum computing developments.

Participants stressed that cyber resilience now requires far broader coordination between governments, regulators, businesses, insurers, and infrastructure operators. Public-private cooperation, information-sharing systems, interoperable intelligence frameworks, and cross-border regulatory coordination were described as increasingly necessary to manage systemic cyber risks.

The discussions also focused on cyber-enabled fraud, scams, and online criminal operations that increasingly target both institutions and ordinary citizens across digital ecosystems. Experts argued that cybersecurity strategies must combine technological protection, digital literacy, public awareness, and platform-level safeguards instead of relying solely on reactive responses.

WEF concluded that cybersecurity is becoming inseparable from economic security and strategic stability in the AI era, with future resilience depending heavily on how effectively governments and industries align incentives, quantify cyber risk, and strengthen cooperation across interconnected systems.

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UNESCO report warns AI-driven abuse threatens women journalists globally

UNESCO, in partnership with Information Integrity Initiative (III) for UN Women and the International Center for Journalists, has published a new global report warning that online violence against women journalists is intensifying in the AI era, contributing to psychological harm, professional withdrawal, and growing levels of self-censorship.

The report, titled ‘Tipping Point: Online Violence Impacts, Manifestations and Redress in the AI Age’, was released ahead of World Press Freedom Day 2026, and the report examines how digital harassment affects participation in journalism and online public debate.

Researchers found that 45% of surveyed women journalists and media workers reported self-censoring on social media because of online violence, compared with 30% recorded in UNESCO’s 2020 study. Around 22% also reported self-censorship within professional environments.

The study additionally identified severe mental health impacts linked to sustained online abuse. Approximately one quarter of respondents reported being diagnosed with or treated for anxiety or depression associated with online violence, while 13% reported post-traumatic stress disorder.

AI-enabled abuse emerged as a major concern throughout the report. Researchers documented increasing use of deepfakes, manipulated sexual imagery, non-consensual intimate content, cyberflashing, and synthetic media targeting women journalists.

According to the findings, 5% of surveyed participants experienced deepfake or manipulated visual content, while nearly one quarter reported receiving unwanted sexual advances or explicit material through digital messaging systems.

The report also highlighted increasing attempts by journalists to pursue legal accountability. Around 22% reported incidents to police, while 14% initiated legal action against perpetrators, facilitators, or employers. Despite those increases, UNESCO warned that significant barriers to justice remain, including reluctance by authorities to investigate online abuse cases and victim-blaming responses.

These findings align with broader warnings contained in UNESCO’s World Trends in Freedom of Expression and Media Development report, which documented rising attacks against journalists, growing self-censorship, and expanding digital threats to media freedom worldwide.

Why does it matter?

AI systems are lowering the cost and increasing the scale of harassment campaigns, enabling synthetic media, impersonation, and coordinated abuse to spread more rapidly across digital platforms. UNESCO suggests that protecting press freedom increasingly requires stronger platform accountability, digital safety mechanisms, AI governance frameworks, and support systems for journalists facing technology-facilitated abuse.

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Global experts gather for CPDP 2026

The CPDP Conference 2026 has released its detailed programme, outlining a multi-day agenda of panels, workshops and cultural sessions focused on AI, data protection and digital governance. The conference will run from 19 to 22 May 2026, bringing together global experts across policy, academia and industry.

Across the programme, a wide range of panels and debates will explore key themes including AI regulation, digital governance, workplace data rights and platform power. Alongside panels and discussions, there will also be short movies and workshops offering conference topics in different formats.

Workshops are scheduled throughout each day, with structured breaks including coffee sessions and lunch intervals offering networking moments for participants. Topics range from AI in healthcare and advertising to digital conflict, governance under pressure and privacy-preserving technologies.

The programme also includes specialised tracks and cultural sessions, such as film screenings and artistic discussions on algorithmic systems, alongside academic panels and policy debates. The event will conclude after a final series of workshops and sessions on 22 May in Brussels, Belgium.

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Europe’s AI future increasingly depends on electricity and power infrastructure

A new opinion piece published by the World Economic Forum argues that the global AI race is rapidly shifting from software and models towards electricity generation, power infrastructure, and compute capacity.

The analysis by Lucy Yu, CEO for Centre for Net Zero, suggests that Europe’s future competitiveness in AI may depend less on research talent and more on whether the region can deliver clean and reliable energy fast enough to support expanding AI infrastructure.

The article highlights how the US and China continue to dominate the global AI ecosystem through massive investments in data centres, cloud infrastructure, and semiconductor capacity. Europe, meanwhile, faces growing concerns over digital dependence, particularly because US hyperscalers control most of the European cloud market while China maintains a leading position in AI patent filings and industrial deployment.

One of the central concerns involves the speed of infrastructure deployment. Grid connection timelines in some European markets can reportedly stretch close to a decade, while energy prices remain significantly higher than in the USA.

Such delays are already affecting investment decisions, with some operators reportedly bypassing congested electricity networks through direct links to gas-fired power plants, despite Europe’s broader net-zero objectives.

One more argument is that Europe’s challenge is not necessarily a shortage of renewable energy resources, but rather the inability to coordinate energy generation, electricity demand, and infrastructure deployment efficiently.

Offshore wind in the North Sea, southern European solar generation, and Scandinavian hydropower are identified as major strategic assets that remain underutilised because of fragmented infrastructure planning.

Large-scale data centres may help stabilise electricity systems by creating predictable demand patterns capable of improving grid utilisation and spreading infrastructure costs across greater consumption volumes.

Flexible AI data centres, battery systems, distributed energy resources, and AI-powered energy management systems are presented as possible solutions capable of reducing network strain and supporting cleaner electricity integration.

Lucy Yu’s analysis concludes that Europe still has an opportunity to compete in the next phase of AI development, but warns that the window is narrowing quickly. Without faster regulatory coordination, grid modernisation, and energy infrastructure reform, AI investment could increasingly shift towards regions capable of delivering power and compute capacity more rapidly.

Why does it matter?

The debate reflects a major structural shift in the global AI economy. Instead of competing only on algorithms and talent, countries are increasingly competing on access to electricity, semiconductor infrastructure, and data centre capacity. Decisions taken during the next few years could determine whether Europe becomes a major AI infrastructure hub or remains dependent on foreign cloud providers and external compute ecosystems.

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ITU Radiocommunication Bureau outlines key aspects future connectivity

ITU Radiocommunication Bureau has highlighted the critical role of radio-frequency spectrum in ensuring digital resilience, emphasising that reliable connectivity underpins essential services such as healthcare, transport and emergency communications.

According to the Bureau, resilience begins before disruption through coordinated spectrum management, international standards and regulatory frameworks. These systems enable wireless networks and satellite services to operate reliably and avoid harmful interference.

The organisation stressed that growing demand for connectivity, including 5G, satellite broadband and AI-enabled systems, increases pressure on spectrum resources. Technical standards and global coordination are therefore essential to maintain interoperability and support innovation.

ITU also pointed to the importance of satellite systems and early warning technologies in responding to climate risks and disasters. Future decisions at the World Radiocommunication Conference 2027 in China will further shape how resilient digital infrastructure develops globally.

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