Here’s your top 3

#1: Cyber update

The National Cyber Security Centre is urging all businesses to confront the stark reality of the cyber threat they face, to follow official guidance and to redouble their efforts both to defend and prepare for how they would respond if an attack were successful. 

On the same day that the government announced that the cyber sector will be a “prime target for economic growth” in the upcoming Industrial Strategy, the government and NCSC launched a new software security code of practice. Described as the first step in establishing clear expectations for a market baseline regarding cybersecurity, the code is relevant for both software vendors and customer organisations and is part of a wider package of cybersecurity codes of practice.

In related news, a new specification from the European Telecommunications Standards Institute is the first global standard that sets minimum security requirements across the entire AI life cycle for all stakeholders in the AI supply chain. A new NCSC report warns that organisations unable to defend AI-enabled threats are exposed to greater cyber risk.

We look at other recent NCSC activity further below.

In other developments, the government is asking for views on the security of enterprise connected devices – devices such as office printers, internet-connected telephones, building entry systems and room booking systems. Recent government-commissioned research found a wide range of serious vulnerabilities across a number of devices commonly used by businesses. Feedback is requested by 7 July 2025.

#2: AI update

With AI rarely out of the news these days, we’ve picked out some interesting highlights from the past month.

According to a new survey commissioned by Acas, when asked what they thought was the most important benefit of AI at work, 35% of employers said ‘increased productivity’. Interestingly, only 11% thought that more work would be done with fewer staff. Acas sets out some top tips for employers on the use of AI at work. This includes highlighting how AI can improve workers’ roles and reassuring staff that human involvement will still be needed.

In a related development, a survey commissioned by Henley Business School found that workers are feeling optimistic but overwhelmed when it comes to AI. The survey identifies lack of training as a critical barrier to wider AI adoption. Almost half of respondents said that there were no formal guidelines for AI use at work, adding to the uncertainty. The results also suggest that concerns around job security and automation appear to be easing, with many respondents now focusing on the practical benefits of AI.

We’ve talked before about the rise of ‘agentic AI’, autonomous AI systems that can make decisions and perform actions with minimal human intervention. Google recently announced the integration of AI Mode into its search engine. Available currently to US users, AI Mode is described as Google’s most powerful AI search, with more advanced reasoning and multimodality, and the ability to go deeper through follow-up questions and helpful links to the web. Agentic AI features will help users get tasks done quicker, such as purchasing tickets and acting as a ‘shopping partner’ to find and pay for the perfect products (you can even try on clothes virtually, for example, as part of the experience).

In other news, following the UK’s recent new deal with the EU, the government announced plans to supercharge AI collaboration across Europe.

#3: Data update

The Data (Use and Access) Bill is edging towards becoming law. The Bill is at the ‘ping-pong’ stage, with amendments going back and forth between the House of Commons and the House of Lords. The House of Commons recently rejected proposed amendments relating to AI copyright, a topic which continues to be intensely debated. The Technology Secretary said that pitting the AI and creative sectors against each other is “unnecessarily divisive and damages both” and that the Bill was never intended to be about this issue, which “needs properly considered and enforceable legislation”. A series of expert working groups is being set up “to bring together people from both sectors on the issues of transparency, licensing and other technical standards to chart a workable way forward”. Critics are concerned that separate legislation will come too late. Watch this space.

In other news, the Information Commissioner’s Office is consulting until 24 June 2025 on draft updated guidance on encryption. The ICO is updating the guidance to follow its ‘must, should, could’ framework to be clearer on which encryption measures it expects organisations to implement. It has also updated the ‘encryption in practice’ section to reflect the current state of technology, especially HTTPS, which it expects all organisations to use.

And in a statement on the ransomware attack that affected the British Library in 2023, the ICO reiterated that organisations must take proactive steps to assess and mitigate risks against cyberattacks, such as implementing comprehensive multifactor authentication (or an equivalent measure), regularly scanning for vulnerabilities and keeping systems up to date with the latest security patches.

More legal and regulatory developments…

• The government announced funding for a new round of the Regulators’ Pioneer Fund which supports regulators to trial new, more efficient ways of working that allow businesses to bring their innovations to market faster.
• The Financial Conduct Authority is seeking feedback from firms until 10 June 2025 on how its live AI testing service can help them to deploy safe and responsible AI.
• The FCA also published a blog post reporting on its recent Open Finance Sprint 2025.
• The AI taskforce of the Cross Market Operational Resilience Group, a public-private partnership between the Bank of England and UK Finance, published a review which provides insight on managing AI risk in the financial services sector, with a focus on generative AI.
• The BBC reported on a government statement saying that it will implement self-driving vehicle legislation in the second half of 2027. The Automated Vehicles Act 2024 became law in May last year and it was expected that self-driving vehicles would be on the road by 2026.
• The Committee of Advertising Practice published advice on the disclosure of AI in advertising and marketing, and a quick guide to changes to the misleading advertising rules following the unfair commercial practices provisions in the Digital Markets, Competition and Consumers Act 2024.
• The Advertising Standards Authority said that influencers, brands, agencies and platforms need to continue to work to ensure all the ads users engage with on social media are clearly disclosed, as it published its latest report looking at the rates at which influencers are sticking to the rules.

…and in other news

• The Met Office confirmed that it now provides its operational weather and climate intelligence through a new supercomputer, the first cloud-based supercomputer dedicated to weather and climate science.
• The government published an independent report setting out the skills needs of the UK quantum sector and making recommendations on how these needs could be met.
• The NCSC’s Chief Technology Officer urged organisations to recognise the “decade-long, national-scale technology change” required to prepare for the post-quantum threat.
• The NCSC reported that the UK is pioneering a global move away from passwords, with the government rolling out passkey technology across digital services as an alternative to SMS-based verification. The NCSC views passkeys as the future of online authentication, and is working with vendors and organisations to make passkeys widely available as an option for users.
• The NCSC announced two new initiatives to help improve national cyber resilience.
• We’ve also seen the NCSC publish ‘Top Tips for Staff’ training which introduces the importance of cybersecurity and explains how attacks happen.
• The University of Wolverhampton established the Centre for Cyber Resilience and Artificial Intelligence which aims to address the growing regional and national needs for expertise in cybersecurity and AI research, innovation, and skills development.
• And finally, the BBC reported on the spectacle of two humanoid robots fighting in a kick-boxing competition – described as a world-first combat sports event.

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