Amazon's AI Layoffs, UK & Meta's AI Team, and Nvidia's China Approval - AI Policy Brief #54
February 03, 2026 -
AI Policy Brief
Hi there,
Welcome to this week's edition of the AI Policy Brief, where we bring you the latest updates on AI regulations, safety standards, and government policies from around the world. This week, we delve into a variety of topics, including the UK Home Office's launch of AI policing reform with facial recognition technology, and the EU Committee's proposal for new copyright rules aimed at AI training. These developments highlight the ongoing efforts by governments to adapt to the rapidly evolving AI landscape.
Additionally, we cover significant corporate moves such as Meta's decision to charge for AI chatbots on WhatsApp in Italy, and Amazon's layoff of 16,000 corporate workers to focus more on AI initiatives. Meanwhile, Anthropic is collaborating with the UK government on an AI assistant project, showcasing the increasing partnerships between tech companies and public institutions. Stay informed with us as we continue to track these impactful changes in the AI sector.
Welcome to this week's edition of the AI Policy Brief, where we bring you the latest updates on AI regulations, safety standards, and government policies from around the world. This week, we delve into a variety of topics, including the UK Home Office's launch of AI policing reform with facial recognition technology, and the EU Committee's proposal for new copyright rules aimed at AI training. These developments highlight the ongoing efforts by governments to adapt to the rapidly evolving AI landscape.
Additionally, we cover significant corporate moves such as Meta's decision to charge for AI chatbots on WhatsApp in Italy, and Amazon's layoff of 16,000 corporate workers to focus more on AI initiatives. Meanwhile, Anthropic is collaborating with the UK government on an AI assistant project, showcasing the increasing partnerships between tech companies and public institutions. Stay informed with us as we continue to track these impactful changes in the AI sector.
Study on Data Poisoning Vulnerabilities in Healthcare AI
Researchers analyze how data poisoning attacks can compromise AI models in healthcare, proposing a defense framework to tackle these security issues. Read more
Common Sense Media Criticizes xAI's Grok for Child Safety Issues
A report by Common Sense Media criticizes xAI's chatbot Grok for failing to identify users under 18 and generating inappropriate content, raising concerns about its safety for children and teens. Read more
Anthropic and OpenAI CEOs Condemn ICE Violence
CEOs of Anthropic and OpenAI have publicly condemned recent violence by Border Patrol agents in Minneapolis, while expressing support for President Trump's call for an independent investigation. Read more
Meta to Charge for AI Chatbots on WhatsApp in Italy
Meta will begin charging developers for AI chatbot operations on WhatsApp in Italy starting February 16, 2026, due to regulatory pressure. The cost will be $0.0691 per message for non-template responses. Read more
Amazon to Lay Off 16,000 Workers for AI Focus
On January 28, 2026, Amazon announced plans to lay off 16,000 corporate employees to streamline operations and increase investments in artificial intelligence. Read more
Anthropic Collaborates with UK Government on AI Assistant
The UK's Department for Science, Innovation and Technology has chosen Anthropic to develop an AI assistant for GOV.UK, focusing initially on employment support services. Read more
FCA Reviews AI's Impact on Retail Finance
The UK's Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) has started a review to evaluate how advanced artificial intelligence affects retail financial markets and consumers. The review will look into changes in competition, market structure, and consumer impact, with results anticipated by mid-2026. Read more
China Approves Nvidia's H200 AI Chips Import
China has approved the import of Nvidia's H200 AI chips for major companies like ByteDance, Alibaba, and Tencent, marking a significant development in AI technology access. Read more
UK Government Forms AI Team with Meta Support
The UK government has established an AI team, supported by Meta, to create open-source tools for enhancing public services like transport and safety. Read more
Deezer Licenses AI Tool to Sacem for Music Fraud Detection
Music streaming platform Deezer has licensed its AI-detection technology to France's royalty agency Sacem to combat music fraud. The tool identifies fraudulent AI-generated music streams, which have significantly increased. Read more
Bernalillo County Commission Evaluates AI Data Center Regulations
The Bernalillo County Commission is considering a resolution to impose strict requirements on new AI data centers, addressing public concerns about their impact. Proposed measures include renewable energy use, local workforce employment, and funding local water projects. Read more
UK Home Office Launches AI Policing Reform with Facial Recognition
The UK Home Office has announced a major policing reform program, featuring a £115 million investment in AI and the deployment of 40 Live Facial Recognition vans across England and Wales. Read more
EU Committee Proposes AI Copyright Protections
The EU Legal Affairs Committee has proposed measures to protect copyright holders in generative AI training, including transparency and fair compensation. The proposals will be voted on in Parliament in March. Read more
Radiology Partners and Stanford Collaborate on AI Safety
Radiology Partners and Stanford Radiology's AIDE Lab have announced a strategic partnership to enhance the safety and reliability of AI tools in medical imaging. Read more
Virtue AI Launches AgentSuite for AI Security
On January 29, 2026, Virtue AI announced the launch of AgentSuite, a platform designed to enhance security and compliance for enterprise AI agents. Read more
HMRC Releases Guidelines for AI in Tax Software
The HM Revenue & Customs has issued guidelines for software developers on using generative AI in tax software, focusing on transparency, data security, and ethical practices. Read more
Story Protocol and OpenLedger Introduce AI Training Standard
On January 29, 2026, Story Protocol and OpenLedger unveiled a new standard to ensure AI training data is rights-cleared and creators receive automatic payments. This initiative aims to enhance transparency and compliance in AI training processes. Read more
IPPR Proposes Regulation for AI-Generated News
The Institute for Public Policy Research suggests AI-generated news should have 'nutrition' labels to disclose sources, and tech companies should compensate publishers for their content. Read more
ASIC Highlights Regulatory Gaps in AI and Digital Assets
The Australian Securities and Investments Commission has identified regulatory gaps in AI and digital assets, stressing the need for clearer regulations to prevent uncertainty and misconduct. Read more
Indonesia Lifts Ban on xAI's Grok Chatbot Conditionally
The Indonesian government has conditionally lifted its ban on xAI's Grok chatbot, after similar actions by Malaysia and the Philippines. The ban was due to Grok's role in creating nonconsensual sexualized images. Read more
Skien Municipality Partners with Ayfie and Crayon for AI Data Management
Skien Municipality has entered a six-month agreement with Ayfie and Crayon to implement AI solutions for secure internal data management, including the use of large language models like ChatGPT. Read more
India Offers Tax Incentives for AI Workloads
The Indian government has announced a tax holiday until 2047 for foreign cloud providers operating from Indian data centers, aiming to attract global AI investments. Read more
Saline Township Blocks Referendum on AI Data Center
The Saline Township Board in Michigan has voted to maintain agricultural zoning for land designated for a $7 billion AI data center, preventing a community referendum. The project, supported by Oracle and OpenAI, will proceed under a consent judgment with community and environmental considerations. Read more
U.S. and Taiwan Enhance AI Collaboration
Senior officials from the U.S. and Taiwan discussed AI, technology, and drone cooperation at a high-level forum, emphasizing Taiwan's importance as a semiconductor producer. Read more
Congo Unveils $8.7 Billion Digital Plan for AI and Connectivity
The Democratic Republic of the Congo has announced a significant digital transformation initiative to enhance AI skills and connectivity by 2030, with substantial investments from the World Bank and private sector. Read more
Insights Association Seeks Federal Preemption of State AI Laws
The Insights Association and over 40 organizations have requested Congress to temporarily override state AI regulations, advocating for a unified federal approach to prevent regulatory fragmentation and support AI industry growth. Read more
Pentagon and Anthropic Dispute Over AI Use
The Pentagon and AI developer Anthropic are in conflict over the use of AI technology for military purposes, potentially affecting a $200 million defense contract. Read more
Sumsub Introduces AI Agent Verification Framework
Sumsub has launched an AI Agent Verification solution aimed at linking AI agents to verified human identities to enhance digital trust and combat AI-driven fraud. Read more
Baker McKenzie Releases 2026 Global Data & Cyber Handbook
The 2026 Global Data & Cyber Handbook by Baker McKenzie examines the changing landscape of data protection and cybersecurity regulations, with a focus on AI, across over 50 jurisdictions. Read more
VeritasChain Releases CAP-SRP v0.1.0 for AI Safety
The VeritasChain Standards Organization has introduced CAP-SRP v0.1.0, an open-source tool for verifying AI systems' refusals to generate harmful content, enhancing accountability in AI safety. Read more
AWS Introduces Network Firewall for AI Traffic
AWS has launched a new feature in its Network Firewall that provides visibility and filtering for generative AI traffic, using web category-based filtering to enhance governance and compliance. Read more
Proposal to Ban Social Media for Under-16s in India
An ally of Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi has proposed a bill to ban social media for users under 16, amid global discussions on its impact on youth. The bill seeks to make platforms responsible for age verification. Read more
Judge May Dismiss xAI's Lawsuit Against OpenAI
A federal judge has indicated a potential dismissal of xAI's lawsuit against OpenAI over alleged trade secret theft, citing insufficient evidence from xAI. Read more
OpenAI Launches EU Economic Blueprint 2.0
OpenAI has introduced its EU Economic Blueprint 2.0, aiming to train 20,000 SMEs in AI skills and offering a €500,000 grant for youth safety research. The report also suggests national AI-in-education frameworks for EU policymakers. Read more
AI Super PAC Raises $125 Million for Regulation Advocacy
The AI industry super PAC, Leading the Future, has raised $125 million to support candidates who favor national AI regulations, with backing from figures at Andreessen Horowitz, OpenAI, and Palantir. Read more
UK Proposes AI Regulations for Google
The UK Competition and Markets Authority has proposed regulations requiring Google to allow publishers to opt out of AI-generated summaries, aiming to give publishers more control over their content. Read more
SpaceX Updates Starlink Privacy Policy for AI Data Use
SpaceX has updated its Starlink privacy policy to allow customer data to be used for AI training, effective January 15, 2026. This change has raised privacy concerns as it involves data sharing with third parties and coincides with potential business developments involving xAI. Read more
Institute of Cancer Research Secures Funding for AI Project
The Institute of Cancer Research in London has received nearly £400,000 from the Medical Research Council for the FIREDANSE project, which aims to improve AI safety and transparency in healthcare. Read more
Armenia Joins AI Framework Convention
On January 27, 2026, Armenia signed the Council of Europe’s Framework Convention on Artificial Intelligence, becoming the 19th signatory to this international treaty focused on aligning AI with human rights and democratic principles. Read more
OpenClaw Launches AI Social Network Moltbook
OpenClaw, formerly known as Clawdbot, has introduced a social network named Moltbook for AI assistants to interact. The platform, led by developer Peter Steinberger, has quickly gained traction but faces security challenges. Read more
Singapore Expands AI Governance with MindForge Phase 2
Singapore's Project MindForge Phase 2 seeks to improve AI governance in financial services by transitioning from pilot programs to comprehensive strategies. The initiative includes traditional AI, generative models, and agentic AI, with a focus on the AI Risk Management Executive Handbook for senior leadership. Read more
NetDragon and EDA Launch AI Initiative in Thailand
NetDragon and its subsidiary EDA (Thailand) have partnered to launch a government-backed AI initiative to prepare Thailand's workforce for the future, supported by Thailand's Ministry of Higher Education, Science, Research and Innovation. Read more
2026 International AI Safety Report Released
The 2026 International AI Safety Report, led by Turing Award-winner Yoshua Bengio, evaluates advancements in AI and associated risks, noting improvements in AI capabilities and concerns over deepfakes and biological misuse. Read more
Aura Acquires Qoria for Online Safety
Aura, an AI-powered online safety platform, has announced its acquisition of Qoria, a leader in student safety and wellbeing. The acquisition aims to create a global leader in online safety by combining both companies' strengths. Read more
DC Capital Partners Invests in AI Platform Knexus
DC Capital Partners has announced a majority investment in Knexus, an AI platform that supports government programs. This partnership aims to enhance the deployment of AI solutions in federal agencies. Read more
Hawaii Court Strikes Down Deepfake Election Law
A federal court in Hawaii has ruled that the state's law prohibiting AI-generated election content is unconstitutional, impacting regulations on deepfakes in elections. Read more
Fujitsu Pilots Takane LLM in Japanese Government for Public Comments
Fujitsu has tested its Takane large language model with a Japanese government agency to automate public comment operations, significantly reducing processing time. Read more
Djibouti Begins AI Strategy Consultations
Djibouti has started consultations to create a National AI Strategy, supported by the United Nations, focusing on ethical AI, skills, and infrastructure. Read more
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