Technology & Digital round-up: June 2026

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Here’s your top stories for June:

#1: Government holds first AI adoption summit amid flurry of activity

Taking place during London Tech Week, the government held the first AI adoption summit to “focus on how we as a country adopt AI. How we take it out of the lab and put it into practice and into people’s hands”.

On the same day, AI adoption plans were published by AI champions in the priority sectors identified in the government’s Modern Industrial Strategy. These include digital and technologies, advanced manufacturing and clean energy. The plans follow a pro-worker approach, with the government launching a pro-worker AI adoption prize which recognises and promotes organisations adopting AI in ways that increase productivity, provide workers with new capabilities and create new jobs.

Setting out the government’s interim response, the Technology Secretary said that businesses in every sector must step up and engage with the AI champions and their plans, invest in their workforce and lead transformation in their sectors. She describes it as “urgent, high-stakes work”.

Other key announcements include a UK AI hardware plan, new support for young people including AI ‘bootcamps’, and billions of pounds of new investment.

#2: Latest on EU AI Act as transparency code of practice published

We updated you in our May 2026 edition on European plans to streamline parts of the EU AI Act. Various simplification measures have now been given the final green light. These include postponing application of obligations on high-risk AI systems and watermarking obligations on AI-generated content placed on the market before 2 August 2026.

The European Commission published its finalised code of practice on transparency of AI-generated content. The code is voluntary, but those that sign it can rely on its measures to demonstrate compliance with the Act. Others will need to be able to show that their chosen measures are adequate. Signatories will be publicly listed in July 2026. Final Commission guidelines on the scope of the transparency obligations are also expected.

The transparency obligations place core disclosure duties on both providers and deployers of AI systems so that users know when they’re interacting with AI-generated content. Note that the short grace period agreed on watermarking obligations only applies to content placed on the market before 2 August 2026.

#3: Social media ban for under-16s

The government’s plans to introduce a social media ban for under-16s have been widely reported. A full government response to the consultation which ran from March to May this year will be published in July, setting out further details. The measures are expected to come into force in spring 2027.

A key focus will be putting in place highly effective age assurance measures to make it much more difficult for children to bypass safeguards. This has been an issue in Australia, where a similar ban came into force at the end of last year.

At the government’s request, Ofcom will deliver by the end of October a technical assessment of highly effective age assurance at 16. The regulator will also urgently review its enforcement capabilities with a clear enforcement strategy to be published as soon as possible. Ofcom is encouraging the government to make the relevant regulations around the ban as clear and specific as possible.

More legal and regulatory developments…

• The Competition and Markets Authority introduced two new conduct requirements to make sure that Google’s search rankings, including AI Overviews, are fair and that users can benefit from sharing their data.
• The Information Commissioner’s Office published finalised guidance setting out its expectations for Internet of Things manufacturers and developers. It comes as new research shows that only 1 in 7 people have a clear understanding of how their smart devices collect and use their personal data.
• The ICO responded to a government request to publish a plan for enabling safe AI-powered innovation. A new AI strategy will be published in the coming months setting out the ICO’s 2026/27 workplan. This will include an AI code of practice and dedicated guidance on agentic AI.
• The Financial Conduct Authority updated its operational resilience webpage with information and resources on frontier AI, which “represents a step-change in capability, with significant implications for cybersecurity and operational resilience”.
• The FCA published a first of its kind emerging technology horizon scan for 2026. The document sets out three plausible ways emerging technologies could combine to create new outcomes for consumers, firms and markets – personalised intelligence, synthetic crime and media, and programmable finance.
• The FCA published a blog post on AI in financial services, explaining how the regulator is responding to the practical questions the technology raises for firms. An independent review looking into the long-term impact of AI on retail financial services will be published in early July.
• The Financial Stability Board is consulting until 22 July on sound practices for the responsible adoption of AI. A final report will be published in October.
• The Digital Regulation Cooperation Forum issued a call for input as part of a project looking at consumer approaches to the risks of generative and agentic AI.
• The Law Commission published the final report of its review into aviation autonomy. It recommends targeted changes to the current legal framework to make sure that drones and other remotely piloted and autonomous uncrewed aircraft systems can operate with equivalent levels of safety to crewed flight.
• The government published a draft revised telecommunications security code of practice for public telecoms providers. The code has been updated considering evolving threats and emerging technologies.

…and in other news

• The Five Eyes cybersecurity agencies, including the National Cyber Security Centre, issued an urgent call to action to organisations to act now in the face of rapidly transforming cyber risk. The NCSC has published a webpage on frontier AI and what organisations need to know, bringing together in one place a wide range of resources.
• Other recent NCSC commentary includes: software supply chain attacks; the ‘vibe coding spectrum’ approach to AI-assisted software development; the scale of cyber threats against the UK’s critical infrastructure; and urgent advice for those using Fortinet services.
• The government published a year one update to its long-term digital and technologies sector plan, including a forward look at planned initiatives over the next five years.
• The government presented the energy sector cybersecurity strategy, setting out an ambitious vision and 4-year roadmap of activities for the UK’s energy sector as it transitions to a clean power system by 2030.
• The government announced the world’s first national framework for quantum standards.
• It’s hoped that two new AI tools unveiled by the government to modernise England’s planning permission system will free up planning officers to focus more on complex applications, including new housing and major developments.
• The government launched a new ‘concierge service’ of hands-on support and a visa scheme to help the country’s fastest-growing firms scale and attract talent.
• Regional leaders will be given more power to boost new industries and technologies through the Local Innovation Partnerships Fund.
• The government is consulting until 9 September 2026 on a draft statement of safety principles for automated vehicles.
• And finally, Amazon boss Jeff Bezos says that AI will create more jobs for humans, not replace them.

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