Global Scans · Legal · Weekly Summary

WHAT'S NEXT?: Substantive regulatory change is likely to happen in the next decade as a result of the recent U.S. Presidential election, Brexit and efforts to reduce the impacts of climate change, increase trade and reduce bureaucracy while legislating for new forms of technological advancement such as robots, driverless cars and drones.

• [New] AI governance spending will reach $492 million in 2026 and cross $1 billion by 2030, driven by the EU AI Act and expanding global regulation. Ethyca
• [New] Keeping tabs on developments in EU law - including through the UK Mission to the EU - will also be essential as divergence could occur when EU rules change without the UK following suit. Encompass
• [New] An Australian Army reservist will face court after allegedly working as a drone operator for Ukraine in the war with Russia, in a rare use of anti-foreign fighter laws. SBS News
• [New] While some tech companies and Republican lawmakers want states to leave AI regulation to Washington, California's attorney general has warned against relying solely on Congress, pointing to years of delays on data privacy and technology laws. Insurance Journal
• [New] Key risks include stringent global regulation of biometric data collection, failure to scale the Orb technology reliably, security vulnerabilities, competition from other digital identity projects, and a general loss of user trust or interest. CryptoRank
• [New] Compliance in 2026 will challenge UK legal firms to move beyond static frameworks and demonstrate how controls operate in practice. Legal Futures
• [New] The real risk for law firms lies in assuming that AI adoption is automatically acceptable, without tailoring how it is used and how they explain it to individual clients. Legal Futures
• [New] The emerging legal concept of cognitive liberty - the right of individuals to mental self-determination, including the right to keep the contents of their minds private - is directly threatened by inadequate BCI security. Appixels
• [New] The organization called for clearer legal frameworks and stronger global coordination, arguing that without them, tokenized finance could deepen fragmentation rather than improve efficiency. Technocracy News
• [New] The wider overhaul of the Law on Food Safety is expected to be submitted for government approval near the end of 2026, so if status quo is maintained until then, food companies will have a much longer transition time. FoodNavigator-Asia.com
• [New] Panellists will consider the role of smart, coherent regulation and its alignment with Europe's broader competitiveness goals, assessing how European regulation can reinforce, rather than restrict, innovation and growth across the digital economy. Sovereign Tech Europe - Shaping a Resilient, Independen
• [New] By 2026, XAI will be a standard requirement for many AI applications, particularly in sectors like healthcare, finance, and law. DeepUseCase
• [New] OpenAI envisions data-driven triggers: once measurements of AI-related job displacement cross defined thresholds, programs covering income support, wage insurance, and direct cash payments would activate without requiring new legislation. The AI Consulting Network
• [New] Frameworks such as Basel IV, GDPR, and emerging AI regulations require institutions to demonstrate transparency, accountability, and strong data governance across all risk-related processes. Lasting Dynamics
• [New] OpenAI's document argues that incremental tweaks to existing regulations will not suffice as AI capabilities scale toward superintelligence. OpenAI Industrial Policy for the Intelligence Age 2026
• [New] Proposed UK legislation could expand accepted forms of voter ID, making elections more accessible, while new US proposals aim to tighten voter eligibility rules. Access Information News
• [New] Voice cloning without consent creates major legal risks in 2026, as right-of-publicity laws protect an actor's voice in many countries. Vozo
• [New] California passed several AI laws, including the Transparency in Frontier Artificial Intelligence Act, the first US state law focused on transparency and catastrophic risk from frontier AI models. JD Supra
• [New] More than 25 countries have introduced or enacted AI-specific legislation since 2023, and Gartner projects that by 2026, more than 50% of large enterprises will face mandatory AI compliance audits. Kiteworks | Your Private Data Network
• [New] In the UK, EVs are widely expected to approach majority share of new-car sales by 2030, driven by tightening zero-emission regulations, falling battery costs, and continued expansion of public charging infrastructure. heycar
• Under new US laws, Australian drugmakers that do not build new factories in America and cut their prices for US consumers will be hit with 100% tariffs. SBS News
• As of early 2026, the Congressional Budget Office (CBO) projects a fiscal year 2026 deficit of roughly $1.9 trillion under current law, before accounting for any additional conflict-related appropriations. / USA First Business Bank
• If the federal framework falls, the US could fragment into a patchwork of state regulations: some strong (California), some weak (Texas). youth4planet

Last updated: 14 April 2026