Stories from Abroad

As AI becomes a central element of national and global development strategies, actors are promoting AI literacy through policies that foster highly skilled talent and equip citizens to engage with AI in everyday life. This study conducts a comparative policy analysis of 41 AI literacy policies from the European Union, United States, India, and China, examining convergences and divergences in domestic talent cultivation and international talent attraction strategies.

The Earth's skies have never been so full. From the dawn of the satellite era in 1957 until Starlink's first launch in May 2019, one new satellite entered orbit, on average, every five days. Since then, it has been one every five hours. This unprecedented constellation of satellites is essential to realise Starlink's goal – fast, affordable internet for anyone on Earth. For many, this service has been a lifeline.

I recently returned from Baku, where I made my first international trip as a Federal Communications Commissioner to represent the US at the World Telecommunication Development Conference. For a new Commissioner, it was a remarkable way to see the global communications landscape up close. One thing became clear very quickly: even though the FCC is fundamentally a domestic agency, none of our challenges are purely domestic anymore.

UK adults spend an average of four and a half hours online a day – up by 10 minutes from 2024. Most time online is on a smartphone. One in 20 people remain without internet access at home. Half (51%) of time online is spent on services owned by Alphabet or Meta. Smartphone users use on average 41 apps in a month. Google is still the most-used search service, but Gen AI services are changing the sector. YouTube, Facebook/Messenger and Instagram are the top three social media services. WhatsApp is the top messaging app and is growing. Most (59%) UK adults use online intermediaries for their o

The European Commission has opened a formal antitrust investigation to assess whether Google has breached EU competition rules by using the content of web publishers, as well as content uploaded on the online video-sharing platform YouTube, for artificial intelligence (‘AI') purposes. The investigation will notably examine whether Google is distorting competition by imposing unfair terms and conditions on publishers and content creators, or by granting itself privileged access to such content, thereby placing developers of rival AI models at a disadvantage. The Commission is concerned that 

The European Commission has issued a fine of €120 million to X for breaching its transparency obligations under the Digital Services Act. The breaches include the deceptive design of its ‘blue checkmark', the lack of transparency of its advertising repository, and the failure to provide access to public data for researchers.

A new X feature revealed that several pro-Trump accounts with large followings are not US-based, despite content and some bios suggesting otherwise. On X account profiles, clicking on an account’s date of creation reveals the country or region where the account is based.

The Middle East is fast becoming not just a deep-pocketed investor in AI but a hot spot for data centers, highlighted by a new wave of Saudi deals. Tech companies used the U.S.-Saudi Investment Forum and the D.C. visit of Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman to announce a host of new projects with Humain—a Saudi AI and infrastructure developer backed by the country's Public Investment Fund. The region's significant energy capacity is a huge draw for U.S. companies looking to rapidly build out AI infrastructure. 

Federal Communications Commission Chair Brendan Carr has reportedly written to the BBC, PBS, and NPR announcing an investigation into whether a controversial BBC documentary with a misleading edit of a Donald Trump speech was ever aired in the US. Breitbart obtained a copy of the letter, which hasn’t been shared publicly by either Chairman Carr or the FCC.

The European Commission is putting forward a package of measures to simplify the European Union's General Data Protection Regulation. The package includes changes to core elements of the GDPR, including a reduction in cookie banners and pop-ups. The package also includes changes to the 2024 AI Act.