AI Watch

OpenAI has confirmed that London will be home to its largest research and engineering hub outside of the United States. This landmark decision by one of the most significant firms in the generative AI era is a resounding endorsement of the UK’s position...

Artificial Intelligence (AI) data centres are coming to Scotland.  Thanks to its strong grid connections and abundant renewable energy, Scotland is becoming increasingly attractive location for building such data centres. 

Artificial intelligence is rapidly reshaping the landscape of modern policing. This has not been without controversy.  Last year, the West Midlands Police were criticised last year for using AI to formulate the evidential basis for banning ...

The past year has marked a decisive shift in the global artificial intelligence landscape. A new report by insurance brokerage, Gallagher, details the significant evolution of the environment.

The artificial intelligence revolution is placing an unprecedented strain on Great Britain's electricity grid. This has prompted the energy regulator to embark on a sweeping overhaul of how data centres secure their power connections. 

AI is rapidly moving from experimental novelty to operational reality. Whether navigating city streets or shaping consumer behaviour, businesses are embedding AI into core functions, raising fresh questions about regulation and accountability under UK law.

Despite the increased adoption of AI tools by businesses, many organisations continue to face the challenge of “shadow AI”.

The shift from generative assistants to autonomous agentic AI is officially on the FCA’s radar.

Launched on 27 January 2026, the Mills Review asks for engagement on how UK financial services will be regulated through to 2030.

On 4 February 2026, Sir Geoffrey Vos, Master of the Rolls, delivered a keynote address as part of the “Justice for All” series (which examines the future of the justice system).

In January 2026, Bandcamp, an online music distribution platform which describes itself as an online record store and music community, announced a formal ban on music and audio generated "wholly or in substantial part" by AI. T

New research by MIT has highlighted a growing challenge for machine learning in clinical settings: some large models trained on de‑identified electronic health records (EHRs) may unintentionally memorise elements of training data in such a waythat, when prompted, could reveal sensitive patient information.

With copyright and AI training increasingly colliding, the European Commission has taken its next major step toward clarifying how rightsholder protections will operate under the AI Act. 

The UK government is stepping up its efforts to establish national artificial intelligence capabilities by unveiling a new collaboration with Meta. The aim is to create open‑source AI tools to improve transport systems, enhance public safety, and support defence operations.

The Department for Science, Innovation and Technology (DSIT) released the AI Opportunities Action Plan: One Year On progress report on 29 January 2026. This report evaluates the delivery of 50 recommendations established in early 2025 to scale the United Kingdom’s artificial intelligence sector. 

The UK Jurisdiction Taskforce (UKJT) has opened a consultation on its draft Legal Statement addressing liability for AI harms under the private law of England and Wales. It’s seeking stakeholder views on whether the draft (annexed to the consultation) adequately tackles the key areas of uncertainty around how liability should be assigned when AI systems cause damage.

On 26 January 2026, CMS representatives joined the AI APPG in conversation with Yan LeCun and other experts. In this article, you will find a summary of the key insights from this thought-provoking session.

The First-Tier Tribunal (Tax Chamber) has agreed to let an appeal move forward, despite finding “professionally incompetent” use of AI and other procedural missteps. 

Recently, machine learning engineers have developed recursive language models (RLMs) – a new way of using large language models (LLMs) so they can complete long-context tasks.  

The rapid rise of artificial intelligence (AI) presents a clear paradox. While AI can significantly strengthen climate resilience and improve environmental decision making, the process of developing and running these systems consumes considerable energy, generates carbon emissions and places pressure on water resources.

Matthew McConaughey has registered trade marks of various short audio and video clips of himself, including his catchphrase “Alright, alright, alright”.  According to his lawyers, these rights could be used to prevent unauthorised (deepfake) copies of him. 

Strategically underperforming is not something typically found in human behaviour, yet the AI security institute has found that AI models are sometimes able to strategically underperform (sandbag) when prompted to do so (such as to evade control).

Is the music industry re-thinking its approach to artificial intelligence? Against the backdrop of a settled copyright infringement claim, the recently reported deal struck between Warner Music Group (“Warner”) and AI song generator Suno – together with several similar licensing deals emerging across the creative sector – may signal a shift towards licensing of rights for AI training and outputs. 

The UK government is considering tougher regulations on AI chatbots over concerns they may expose children to harmful content or encourage self-harm. Technology Secretary, Liz Kendall, told MPs that she is “especially worried” about the risk to young people forming unhealthy relationships with generative AI tools. 

Last week, a digitally altered image showing severe damage to the Carlisle rail bridge caused disruption to rail services. Shared on social media, the image  prompted emergency inspections and delays to over 30 services, only for engineers to confirm that the bridge was intact. 

As highlighted in our recent Law-Now, the European Commission took a significant step on 19 November 2025 by publishing the Digital Omnibus on AI (the “Omnibus”) (Digital Omnibus on AI Regulation Proposal | Shaping Europe’s digital future) – a legislative package aimed at refining, simplifying, and realigning selected provisions of the AI Act. 

On 2 August 2025, the EU AI Act’s new obligations for general-purpose AI models officially came into force, accompanied by guidelines from the European Commission. 

The UK Government recently published a Policy Paper on ‘Delivering AI Growth Zones’  with the aim of rapidly expanding the UK’s AI data centre capacity and securing its leadership in AI.  

AI is powering incredible innovation, but it’s also enabling harm. The UK government has announced new legislation to tackle the growing threat of AI-generated child sexual abuse material (CSAM). 

On 17 November 2025, CMS representatives joined the All-Party Parliamentary Group on Artificial Intelligence at the House of Lords to explore how government and industry advisors are shaping the future of AI. 

Fresh data reveals how deeply the UK government is investing in artificial intelligence. Drawing on departmental disclosures and central initiatives, the numbers tell a clear story: AI is no longer a side project – it is a strategic priority. 

Roughly a quarter of survey respondents say their company is scaling at least one agentic system - systems that can plan multi-step tasks and act in the real world. Results of the survey on the State of AI in 2025 from McKinsey

The European Commission has set a new cadence for AI governance and innovation, pairing practical compliance tools with a strategic investment in science. 

A leaked European Commission working draft proposes a targeted “Digital Omnibus on AI” designed to simplify and stabilise implementation of the AI Act, without it claims lowering protections. The proposal seeks to align timelines, streamline governance, and rationalise procedures. 

The European Committee for Standardisation (CEN) and The European Committee for Electrotechnical Standardisation  (CENELEC) have adopted exceptional measures to accelerate the development of key AI standards underpinning the EU AI Act.