UK law
UK government issues update on AI action plan for justice
The Ministry of Justice has issued an update on the first year of progress against the AI Action Plan for Justice and priorities for the year ahead. Published in July 2025, the AI Action Plan for Justice set out the Ministry of Justice’s approach to the proportionate and responsible adoption of AI across the justice system. This update looks at progress made in the first year against the plan’s commitments to strengthen its foundations, embed AI across the justice system, and invest in its people and partners. It also introduces a new fourth strategic priority focused on identifying and responding to the emerging risks posed to the justice system by AI. The update includes a link to a new Action Plan Explorer, providing specific detail on each action.
UK government updates guidance on the use of artificial intelligence in casework evidence
The UK government has updated its guidance on the use of artificial intelligence as part of any appeal, application or examination being dealt with by the Planning Inspectorate.
Ofcom issues initial assessment of AI’s impact on telecoms customers
Ofcom has issued its initial assessment of AI’s impact on telecoms customers so far and how AI in the telecoms customer journey may evolve in future. It considers the opportunities and risks for customers, alongside the short- and longer-term regulatory issues that AI adoption raises. Ofcom considers that its current rules give firms sufficient certainty to invest and innovate responsibly with customer-facing AI. However, AI innovation is likely to pose new regulatory challenges in the near future, for example around transparency, accountability, and meaningful customer consent. Ofcom will continue to engage with industry, consumer groups and others and monitor changing consumer attitudes and behaviour. It invites firms deploying AI in the telecoms customer journey to engage with it to understand how the rules apply to AI applications. Ofcom will also act quickly should evidence of harm emerge.
EU law
PMAC consults on Draft FRAND Guidelines Discussion Paper
The Patent Mediation and Arbitration Centre is consulting on its Draft FRAND Guidelines Discussion Paper, which was developed by the PMAC FRAND Guidelines Working Group. The PMAC Guidelines will provide a non-binding, flexible framework of best practices for resolving FRAND disputes through mediation, arbitration, expert determination or hybrid procedures, emphasising party autonomy, confidentiality, proportionality and the early definition of the dispute’s scope. The draft also addresses the selection of neutrals, evidence and patent portfolio valuation, parallel court proceedings and possible outcomes. It will be refined in light of stakeholder feedback and future developments in case law. The consultation ends on 26 October 2026.
ENISA issues technical advisory on AI-assisted software development
The EU Agency for Cybersecurity (ENISA) has issued a Technical Advisory on AI-assisted software development which sets out practical guidance for integrating secure-by-design principles into AI-assisted software development, covering uses ranging from developer coding assistants to more autonomous AI agents. ENISA warns that code which is functionally correct may nevertheless be insecure and identifies three broad areas of concern: non-adversarial failures, such as hallucinated dependencies, insecure code and inadequate review; adversarial threats, including prompt manipulation, malicious packages or instructions, information leakage and misuse of an agent’s privileges; and governance and assurance risks, such as unclear accountability, excessive autonomy and poor traceability. Its central recommendation is that AI-assisted development should be incorporated into organisations’ existing secure software development lifecycle rather than treated as a separate process, using a four-stage approach: identify the relevant security requirements, specify them explicitly to the AI assistant or agent, verify its outputs through appropriate human review, testing and security checks, and record evidence of those checks and approvals. The advisory also explores the use of reusable AI “skills” and project instructions to embed security requirements consistently into AI workflows, while stressing that these mechanisms do not guarantee secure outputs or replace human judgement, testing, vulnerability management or accountability.
European Commission seeks feedback on the impact of technology on copyright and possible ways forward
The European Commission is gathering feedback on challenges and options for potential future measures to support effective copyright protection amid market and technological developments. The targeted consultation focuses specifically on the use of copyright-protected content in artificial intelligence; the fight against online piracy of time-sensitive copyright-protected content, such as live events; the application of the single equitable remuneration right of music performers and producers; and copyright and scientific research. While the EU already benefits from a robust copyright framework, emerging challenges and market developments raise the question of whether the framework should be reinforced through potential additional measures. The consultation builds on feedback received in the context of the call for evidence conducted earlier this year, and on evidence gathered in previous relevant studies and assessments. The consultation ends on 3 November 2026.
Irish DPC issues report on responsible AI innovation insights
The Irish Data Protection Commission has issued a report with insights gathered during its supervision of artificial intelligence products and services between 2021 and 2025. The DPC Supervision Function operates a quasi-regulatory sandbox: a voluntary, engagement-driven model that allows the DPC to influence product design at the pre-processing stage. The objective is to ensure that a data protection by design and by default approach is embedded at the earliest stage of product development, and that significant risks and harms are identified before new products and services are launched in the European market. The report describes a significant increase in AI-related engagements, driven in part by the rapid development of generative AI in recent years. Key findings highlight that innovation and rigorous data protection are not mutually exclusive. The DPC Supervision Function has secured significant improvements in data protection compliance in the areas of lawful basis, transparency, data minimisation, and the protection of children. The report demonstrates several critical areas of focus for the DPC, particularly the application of legitimate interests as a legal basis for AI training and the need for robust transparency in relation to novel technology that often involves opaque and complex processing operations. While most AI engagements resulted in recommendations being issued, the report also demonstrates the DPC’s readiness to intervene urgently where risks to individuals’ rights are not satisfactorily mitigated. The report concludes that early regulatory engagement is the most effective path to sustainable, responsible, data-protection- and privacy-centric innovation.
International
OECD issues paper on agentic AI in organisations
The OECD has published a paper that examines how agentic AI systems are being developed, deployed and governed in practice. Drawing on interviews with organisations across a range of regions and sectors, it explores emerging applications, benefits, challenges and governance approaches. By complementing conceptual analysis with insights from practitioners, the paper helps strengthen the empirical evidence base for future research and policy discussions on agentic AI.
