In early 2025, the European AI Act's compliance discussions surfaced a case that had never been properly reckoned with. Amazon's internal recruitment algorithm, developed to automate the screening of job applications, had systematically downgraded CVs containing the word "women," including references to women'
In January 2026, the British Museum reiterated its legal inability to permanently derotate the Parthenon Sculptures to Greece, citing the British Museum Act 1963 as the binding constraint on any restitution decision. The same week, internal documents revealed that the museum holds approximately 1.7 million objects in its collection,
In February 2026, the European Union's AI Act came into full effect, introducing the first comprehensive legal framework for artificial intelligence governance in a major jurisdiction. Among its provisions were restrictions on real-time biometric surveillance in public spaces. Within weeks of implementation, member state governments had begun applying
In March 2026, the African Union renewed its formal demand for permanent Security Council representation, a position it has held without result for decades. The UN's response followed a familiar pattern. The matter would be considered through the appropriate reform channels. The process, in other words, would be
The Watching Infrastructure Across many parts of the world, new digital systems are being introduced into public administration, financial services, and security. Governments and corporations increasingly rely on digital tools to monitor transactions, behaviour, and risk. Each deployment arrives with practical justification. Fraud detection software reduces financial crime. Smart city
Several policy reports published this week quietly acknowledged something that technology discourse rarely admits directly. AI sovereignty, increasingly framed as a national strategic goal, may be structurally infeasible for most of the states now pursuing it. The language of sovereignty is doing considerable work in that framing. It suggests autonomy,
AI Sovereignty and the Infrastructure of Power Several policy reports published this week quietly acknowledged something that technology discourse rarely admits directly. AI sovereignty, increasingly framed as a national strategic goal, may be structurally infeasible for most of the states now pursuing it. The language of sovereignty is doing considerable