OpenAI, Anthropic Set Record for Federal AI Lobbying in Q2
New Senate disclosures show OpenAI and Anthropic spent a combined $3.17 million lobbying Washington in Q2 2026, with Anthropic outspending Nvidia for the first time.
Read more →Regulation
What Is Fair Use — and Does It Cover AI Training on Books?
A US court ruled that training AI on legally acquired books can be fair use — but downloading them from a pirate site is not, as Anthropic's $1.5B settlement shows.
Read more →EU Parliament's New AI Hub Won't Require Lawmakers to Disclose Use
The European Parliament is testing an internal AI platform for staff and lawmakers, but MEPs still won't have to disclose when speeches or amendments are AI-drafted.
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US, China Plan First AI Talks Under Trump for September
The US and China will hold their first AI dialogue under the Trump administration in September, led by Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, Reuters reports, as both sides look to manage frontier-model risks.
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What Is the White House's AI Early-Access Framework?
A June 2026 executive order lets the US government preview powerful AI models for up to 30 days before wider release. Here's how the framework actually works.
Read more →White House Now Decides Who Gets Access to Frontier AI Models
The Trump administration is increasingly deciding which firms can access frontier AI models from Anthropic and OpenAI, CNBC reports, shifting gatekeeping from the labs to the government itself.
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What Is the EU Digital Markets Act — and Who Must Follow It?
The EU's Digital Markets Act sets special rules for a handful of tech giants like Google and Apple, forcing them to open their platforms to rivals. Here's what it does and why.
Read more →EU Orders Google to Open Android, Search Data to Rival AI Assistants
The European Commission issued two binding Digital Markets Act rulings on July 16, forcing Google to give rival AI assistants deeper Android access and share anonymized search data with competitors.
Read more →San Francisco Orders Apple, Google to Pull AI 'Nudify' Apps
San Francisco's city attorney gave Apple and Google 28 days to remove 13 AI apps that generate non-consensual nude images, citing new California deepfake laws.
Read more →Germany Rules Google AI Overviews, Perplexity Are Publishers
Germany's media regulator ordered Google and Perplexity to follow press law, ruling that their AI-generated search answers count as the companies' own editorial content.
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What Is Circular AI Financing — and Why Are Regulators Worried?
Circular AI financing is the web of equity stakes, loans, and purchase deals linking chipmakers, cloud providers, and AI labs — and central banks now call it a systemic risk.
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What Is an AI System Card — and What Does It Actually Disclose?
A system card is the document an AI lab publishes with a new model, disclosing how it was tested, what risks were found, and what safeguards were built in.
Read more →What Is WAICO — and How Does China's AI Alliance Work?
WAICO is a new Shanghai-based intergovernmental body, backed by China and 28 other countries, meant to set shared rules for AI. Here's what it is and isn't.
Read more →China Launches WAICO, a 29-Nation AI Governance Alliance
China's [Xi Jinping](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Xi_Jinping) unveiled the World AI Cooperation Organization in Shanghai on July 17, a 29-country body meant to set shared global rules for AI.
Read more →China's New AI Agent Rules Take Effect Nationwide
Rules requiring human sign-off for consequential AI agent decisions and mandatory filings in high-risk sectors took effect across China on July 15, following a policy issued by three national regulators.
Read more →China Approves Apple Intelligence, Powered by Alibaba's Qwen
China's internet regulator cleared Apple Intelligence for release, with Alibaba's Qwen model powering the assistant's text and image features on iPhones sold in the country.
Read more →DeepMind CEO Hassabis Proposes FINRA-Style AI Watchdog
Demis Hassabis called for a US-led, industry-funded body to test frontier AI models before release, arguing AGI is now only a few years away.
Read more →Xi Jinping to Headline China's World AI Conference for First Time
Chinese President Xi Jinping will personally address the 2026 World AI Conference in Shanghai on July 17-20, his first appearance at the event since it began in 2018.
Read more →How Insurers Use AI to Review Claims — and What Rights You Have
Health insurers now use AI to screen and sometimes auto-deny claims and prior-authorization requests in seconds. Here's how the systems work, why lawsuits followed, and what protections exist.
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What Is a Data Center Moratorium — and Why Is It Spreading?
A data center moratorium is a temporary government freeze on new data center permits. Here's how the tool works, why so many places are using it, and what it doesn't actually solve.
Read more →New York Enacts First-in-Nation Freeze on Hyperscale Data Centers
Gov. Kathy Hochul signed an executive order pausing new hyperscale data center permits for up to a year, citing rising electricity bills and grid strain from AI-driven demand.
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