Digital Trade and Data Governance News
- Rwanda’s National Data Sharing – Rwanda has approved a National Data Sharing Policy to enable secure, governed data exchange among government agencies, aiming to break down silos, enhance decision-making, and improve citizen services.
- UK’s Data (Use and Access) Act 2025 – The UK Parliament has enacted the Data (Use and Access) Act 2025 (Chapter 18), establishing new legal frameworks for accessing and using customer and business data. DSIT highlighted the law's economic benefits as well as its provisions for identity verification. Information Commissioner John Edwards said the Information Commissioner's Office will "launch new guidance, open consultations, and provide practical tools to help embed the (DUAA's) principles into everyday operations.
Artificial Intelligence News
- Wall Street’s Big Bet on AI Infrastructure – Private equity firms are investing billions in data centers to fuel the AI boom. But signs of oversupply, lease uncertainty, and innovations that reduce data center reliance are raising concerns about sustainability.
- U.S. Launches Center for AI Standards and Innovation – Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick has transformed the U.S. AI Safety Institute into the Center for AI Standards and Innovation (CAISI), positioning it as a pro-innovation body to develop voluntary standards, evaluate risks, and coordinate across agencies.
- Militarization of Immersive Tech – The article highlights concerns over the growing use of VR and AR in military applications, such as Anduril and Meta’s development of headsets for U.S. forces.
- U.S.-China Tech Race – The U.S. still leads China in critical tech sectors like AI and semiconductors due to strong investments and a diverse innovation ecosystem, but China is rapidly closing the gap through increasing research output and talent development.
- Brazil’s dWallet Data Monetization Pilot – Brazil is testing a first-of-its-kind digital wallet that lets citizens monetize their personal data. While designed to benefit users and boost financial inclusion, concerns remain about potential inequality and literacy barriers.
- OpenAI Flags Misuse of ChatGPT – OpenAI reports a significant portion of recent ChatGPT misuses stem from Chinese-linked actors conducting covert influence operations.
- G7’s GovAI Grand Challenge – Under Canada’s presidency, the G7 launched the GovAI Grand Challenge and the G7 AI Network (GAIN) to promote cross-border sharing of government AI solutions, encouraging strategic investments in large language models and digital infrastructure while upholding secure, responsible, and trustworthy AI commitments.
- LLM Evading Safeguards? – LLMs across the AI industry are increasingly willing to evade safeguards, resort to deception and even attempt to steal corporate secrets in fictional test scenarios, per new research from Anthropic out Friday. Anthropic report said.
- No Adversarial AI Act – U.S. lawmakers propose bipartisan legislation to ban AI models from China, Russia, Iran, and North Korea in federal agencies.
What We're Reading
- Governing AI and the Democratisation of Governance – A recent study explores how AI governance can be aligned with data justice principles, emphasizing the need for institutional arrangements and strategies that promote fairness, accountability, and transparency in AI systems.
- The European Commission's Joint Research Centre (JRC) - JRC’s Outlook Report on Generative AI examines the transformative role in the EU. The report highlights both the potential benefits and challenges of GenAI I across various sectors, including healthcare, education, and creative industries.
- Joint California Policy Working Group - Working Group released the "California Report on Frontier AI Policy," providing a framework for the state's approach to advanced AI governance.
Grant Opportunities
- Risks From Internal Deployment of Frontier AI Models - Foundational Research Grants, a grant program within CSET, is calling for research ideas that would clarify and manage risks from deployment of frontier models within AI companies. Award sizes range up to $1,000,000 per project, to be expended over 3-24 months. Learn more and submit a 1-2 page expression of interest by June 30, 2025.
