The biggest story this week was the UK government’s final push on the Online Safety Bill. The bill cleared the House of Lords and now awaits royal assent. That means platforms will soon have a legal duty to protect children and remove illegal content. No more voluntary codes. The tech industry has spent years lobbying for weaker rules but the public mood has shifted. Parents and campaigners won this one.
On the culture side, the conversation about AI and creativity refuses to die. A major music label announced it will not sign artists who use AI-generated vocals. That is a line in the sand. The debate is no longer theoretical. Record labels, publishers and studios are picking sides. The creative industries in the UK are watching closely because many artists rely on the same labels for distribution.
Apple released its latest iPhone models this week. The reviews are predictable. Better camera, faster chip, slightly longer battery. The real news is the lack of any hardware surprise. The innovation is all in software now. Apple Intelligence is rolling out slowly and many users are still waiting for features promised months ago. The hype cycle is getting shorter.
A smaller but telling story: the UK’s competition regulator closed its investigation into Google’s ad tech practices without taking action. That disappointed critics who wanted a breakup. The regulator said it lacked evidence. But the European Commission is still investigating. The difference in regulatory appetite between London and Brussels is becoming a pattern.
Paul