UK and EU move on AI hardware and content labelling

The UK government has outlined an AI Hardware Plan to develop, deploy and scale the chips and semiconductor technologies underpinning AI, aiming to help domestic hardware firms compete globally and strengthen the country’s strategic position. It also introduced the AI Economics Institute, a joint HM Treasury and Department for Science, Innovation and Technology research body that will assess AI’s effects on productivity, labour markets and growth.

AI Growth Labs will begin in legal services, giving tech innovators a sandbox to test products and discuss regulatory issues with bodies including the ICO, the Council for Licensed Conveyancers, the Solicitors Regulation Authority and the Legal Services Board. Separately, operators can apply to run taxi, bus and private hire-style self-driving services in Great Britain, subject to approval, safety checks and local transport authority consent.

The DRCF is seeking views on consumer attitudes to generative and agentic AI, with responses due by 3 July 2026, and on tools for managing AI risks, with responses due by 2 September 2026. In the EU, the Commission published a voluntary code for marking and labelling AI-generated content under the AI Act and launched a Technological Sovereignty Package covering chips, cloud, AI and open source, including the Chips Act 2.0 and the Cloud and AI Development Act.