AGP Executive Report

Online Safety Clash: Protesters gathered outside the UK science ministry and Meta’s London HQ to argue a proposed under-16s social media ban “isn’t the answer”, pushing instead for Big Tech accountability and controls like removing addictive features. Defence Tech in the Spotlight: NATO’s UK-led wargame used a disused London Tube platform as a temporary command post, testing how commanders would coordinate drones, jamming and targeting in a simulated Estonia scenario—while highlighting how much still depends on future funding and integration. Biometrics Under Pressure: Facewatch appointed a senior data/cyber barrister as its GDPR DPO and gained Secured by Design accreditation as live facial recognition expands in retail. Health & Science: Pharming won EU marketing authorisation for Joenja (leniolisib) for APDS; UK scientists are also racing an Ebola vaccine using Covid-era ChAdOx1 tech. Business & Markets: Blockchain.com filed confidentially for a US IPO; Serabi Gold set AGM and dividend dates.

Online Safety Crackdown: The UK’s ICO says major platforms still haven’t introduced “viable and privacy friendly” age assurance, warning that underage data is still being processed on services meant for adults. Retail Pressure: UK retail sales volumes fell 1.3% in April (fuel down 10.2%), with shoppers cutting back as fuel prices and the Middle East crisis weigh on confidence—leaving Tesco and Sainsbury’s largely unmoved. Crypto vs Quantum: Bitcoin fans and exchanges are stepping up “post-quantum” planning as quantum computing timelines creep closer. Space Watch: Britain’s upgraded Noctis-1 telescope spotted a new Chinese spy satellite, with officials framing it as a fast-moving space security test. AI in the Real World: London AI workflow startup Scope raised about €17m to speed up industrial inspections. Sports Tech: Harry Maguire co-founded Feedz, aiming to improve coaching feedback with voice-to-report tools.

Marine Science Boost: A new £8.1m Camas House building at the European Marine Science Park in Argyll is now complete, with seven labs and sustainability targets aiming for carbon neutrality, plus school placements and apprenticeships to feed local talent. AI Caution From the Top: Bank of England governor Andrew Bailey warns AI’s economic payoff may take years, likening it to electrification’s slow-burn productivity gains. Public Sector Tech Tension: London Mayor Sadiq Khan blocks a £50m Met Police deal with Palantir over procurement and value-for-money concerns. UK–GCC Trade Momentum: The UK and GCC conclude talks on a modern free trade agreement, with Oman and Kuwait in focus, framed as a long-term boost for exporters and investors. Health Tech & Finance: NervGen starts a proposed public offering; Teva gets EMA acceptance for a long-acting schizophrenia injection; and VAT on summer attractions drops to 5% for cost-of-living relief. Security/Defense: ZenaTech’s drone platforms move into the DoD cybersecurity phase for Blue UAS certification.

UK Tech & Regulation: Ofcom has secured new child-safety commitments from Snapchat, Roblox and Meta, including stricter stranger-contact defaults and chat controls for under-16s, while it calls out TikTok and YouTube for not doing enough to curb harmful content in kids’ feeds. Streaming & Devices: Roku is pushing into the UK projector market with Roku TV Smart Projectors that bundle the Roku experience, apps and FAST channels. AI & Markets: Nvidia’s record quarter keeps AI chip optimism high, lifting Asian stocks after another big earnings beat. Business & Investment: CircuitHub has raised $28m to expand automated PCB manufacturing across Europe and the US. Trade: The UK and GCC have sealed a landmark free trade deal, expected to boost trade by nearly 20% and add £15.5bn a year. Defence Tech: Smart Shooter won an Israeli Defence Ministry contract for anti-drone SMASH Hopper weapon stations.

Trade Deal: Keir Starmer has sealed a free trade agreement with six Persian Gulf countries, promising £3.7bn in opportunities for UK exporters and a potential £1.9bn boost to real wages, but critics say it’s “values-free” after no human-rights chapter. AI & Labour: Google DeepMind has rejected UK union recognition for collective bargaining, but agreed to talks via Acas—workers want limits on military use of its AI. OpenAI IPO Watch: OpenAI is reportedly preparing confidential IPO paperwork with US regulators, potentially within days, as it chases funding for AI costs. Regulation & Safety: Ofcom’s incoming chair Ian Cheshire vows to take on “tech bros” and push harder on online safety for under-16s. Energy & Smart Homes: Octopus Energy and Hammersmith & Fulham are rolling out a “Tenant Power” tariff to cut social tenants’ bills by around £200 a year using solar and batteries. Tech Culture: The BBC’s new boss Matt Brittin says the corporation can learn from YouTube’s immediacy as it moves toward YouTube-first content.

UK Inflation: ONS says inflation has eased to 2.8% in April, but economists warn price pressure may still bite as energy and wider costs feed through. Heat Safety: The Climate Change Committee urges maximum working-temperature rules and stronger protections for outdoor and high-risk jobs as a 30C heatwave looms. Travel Tech & Rules: Jet2 says summer fuel supply is secure and no surcharges are planned, while airports are rolling out relaxed 100ml liquid rules unevenly—so travellers are being told to double-check before they fly. Media Workflow Modernisation: Jigsaw24 is partnering with EVS to modernise UK live production and ingest/playout/transcode workflows for more flexible, future-ready broadcasting. AI & Kids: Meta plans to use AI to spot under-13 accounts on Instagram and Facebook using contextual profile signals. Security & Transport: MAV Systems launches AiQ Lite, a compact ANPR camera aimed at reliable number-plate recognition in real-world conditions.

Emergency Services Spotlight: Scottish identical twins Lee and Liam Myers mark 20+ years in the emergency services, swapping roles across ambulance and policing while often being mistaken for each other. Media & Safety: Channel 4 says it’s keeping Married at First Sight UK spin-off Second Marriage at First Sight in pre-production as an external review follows serious contributor-welfare allegations and the main show is pulled. AI in the Enterprise: PwC launches “agentic scaffolding” to help firms deploy AI initiatives, naming Claude and GPT models in its rollout push. Workplace Regulation: The UK HSE keeps the asbestos control limit at 0.1 fibres/ml after reviewing science and concluding lower limits wouldn’t clearly improve health outcomes. Politics & Tech Angle: Meta orders thousands of workers to transfer into AI-focused teams, with “transfers aren’t optional” language resurfacing. Business Tech: Lloyds and BankiFi roll out a free Making Tax Digital Income Tax tool inside the Lloyds Business Account for small firms. Sports Tech: Southampton face punishment after admitting unauthorised filming of rivals’ training sessions.

AI in the spotlight: Fluke’s latest data-centre survey says only 22% of professionals fully trust load testing data, with confidence dropping to 19% in peak failure scenarios—fuel for the “data centre confidence crisis” as AI demand ramps. Industrial AI push: Mistral AI is buying Emmi AI, aiming to build a stronger physics-and-engineering AI stack for industrial design and digital twins. Jobs and automation: Standard Chartered plans to cut about 7,800 roles (over 15% of back-office staff by 2030) as it scales AI and automation. Energy resilience: Aggreko urges process engineers to revise cooling plans ahead of extreme-weather risk tied to El Niño. UK tech investing: Amphiform raises $5.5m pre-seed for nano-catalyst materials targeting far higher power density fuel cells. Sports tech: Dynisma has installed its motion simulator at BWT Alpine’s Enstone HQ to support 2026 car development.

Markets Jitter on Gulf Tensions: Global shares slipped as fresh drone attacks in the Gulf pushed oil and bond yields higher, with investors bracing for Nvidia earnings and inflation worries. Energy Shock Anxiety: The Strait of Hormuz stayed mostly shut, with Brent up around 1.2% and US crude up about 1.4%, while G7 finance ministers met in Paris to tackle the fallout. UK Finance Reform: The Treasury unveiled changes to bank ring-fencing, aiming to unlock up to £80bn for business lending while keeping safeguards. AI Governance Pressure: Ofcom moved to tighten rules on intimate image abuse and deepfakes, while Canada’s Bill C-22 sparked threats to leave and a fresh encryption fight. Local Delivery Focus: Sheffield used UKREiiF to showcase housing and regeneration projects as it pushes toward 38,000 homes by 2039. Business Leadership Change: Inspired Entertainment promoted Craig Wilson to CFO after James Richardson stepped down.

BBC shake-up: Matt Brittin’s first note to staff says “tough choices are unavoidable” as the BBC targets 2,000 job cuts and pushes for faster, clearer change. Cyber & finance risk: Anthropic will brief global financial regulators on Mythos AI’s cyber risks, as regulators worry models could spot bank weaknesses faster than fixes can land. Insurance prevention push: AXA XL launches a prevention services unit to help clients anticipate and mitigate threats like cyber, climate and supply-chain disruption. AI in regulated work: NanoMasters rolls out a self-assessment tool for financial services to spot operational gaps and improve client experience. UK tech policy: FCA and Bank of England set out a shared vision for tokenisation in wholesale markets. Public services & infrastructure: UK plans a terrestrial TV switch-off green paper, but only once superfast broadband coverage is in place. Industry innovation: Micro-Epsilon unveils next-gen 4K green-laser scanners for ultra-compact 3D measurement.

Subsea Security: A new report warns island nations—including the UK—are dangerously dependent on a small number of undersea cables, with most failures tied to human activity and sabotage risks hard to prove. Border Tech: AI-driven “permission-based” travel is spreading fast, with the UK’s ETA and Europe’s ETIAS pushing separate pre-approval systems that could trip up travellers on multi-stop trips. Consumer Safety: Swatch has shut UK stores after huge queues sparked safety concerns, with police called to incidents at shopping centres. Privacy Update: Apple is widening its “Limit Precise Location” setting to more UK/EU carriers, letting users share less exact location with networks. Health Watch: Canada confirmed a hantavirus case in a traveller isolating in British Columbia after a cruise-linked outbreak. Local Incident: In Nanaimo, police say an e-bike battery likely caused an explosion that briefly closed a road.

Self-Driving Cars Go “End-to-End” in Japan: Nissan is showcasing its next-gen ProPilot, now powered by onboard AI decision-making (via Wayve’s tech) rather than rule-based driving, aiming to handle real traffic without needing HD maps. Public Health: The WHO has declared the Ebola outbreak in Central Africa a Public Health Emergency, citing cross-border spread and overwhelmed systems. Retail Speed Wars: Amazon is rolling out 30-minute deliveries (“Amazon Now”) in the UK and other countries, using small local fulfilment hubs. Energy Bills: A UK homeowner says solar cut an ~£800 electricity bill to effectively £0 by exporting surplus power. UK Tech & Regulation: Seegnal filed 2025 annual accounts and says its management cease trade order ends May 16. Security Tech: Britain has rushed a low-cost anti-drone missile system into RAF Gulf operations. Education Tech Caution: Scotland’s education chief says iPad use should be limited in primary schools, with nurseries told not to show tablets.

UK Defence & Diplomacy: Britain is sending military assets for a “future defensive mission” to secure freedom of navigation in the Strait of Hormuz, but Washington is still irritated that Starmer won’t back a wider US strike plan. Energy & Business: Libya’s state oil chief tells British firms the country is “open for business” as it pushes to unify and ramp up oil and gas output. Protests & Policing: Tens of thousands pack London for Tommy Robinson’s “Unite the Kingdom” rally and a separate pro-Palestine march, with police running a major operation and making dozens of arrests. Cyber & Education: Canvas operator Instructure says it has reached an agreement with the ransomware group behind a major attack, after weeks of disruption and stolen student data. AI in Sport: FIFA’s World Cup tech push includes 3D-scanned players for faster offside decisions. Everyday Tech: Sony’s new Reon Pocket Pro Plus targets personal cooling/heating with longer battery life.

Eurovision Tonight: The UK’s leftfield hope Look Mum No Computer (Sam Battle) takes the stage in Vienna for the 2026 grand final, with “Eins, Zwei, Drei” aiming to end 29 years of hurt. Regulation & AI Safety: The UK’s finance watchdogs warn firms to plan for frontier AI cyber risks, while Ofcom says X has pledged faster action on hate and terror content. Semiconductors Under Scrutiny: Arm Holdings is facing a US FTC antitrust probe into how it licenses chip technology. Education Tech Backlash: Glasgow has “binned” maths app Sumdog over concerns about gamifying learning. UK Tech Meets Identity: A new UK fusion consortium targets commercial fusion delivery, and a startup Lightmark pitches “light fingerprinting” to fight deepfakes. Transport & Connectivity: BT is set to move remaining G.fast customers onto the SOGEA platform as legacy phone services wind down. Politics & Culture: Reform’s Farage-vs-Burnham campaign tactics are in focus, while the UK launches a Jewish culture month—complete with a giant green pickle.

Supply-Chain Innovation Deal: UK SCALE, MTC and Argon & Co have launched a strategic partnership aimed at turning research into real-world supply chain improvements, linking academic modelling with manufacturing demonstrators and delivery know-how. Eurovision Tech Drama: Eurovision’s grand final is shadowed by last-minute staging glitches in Vienna, including a curtain failure and props arriving late—plus Look Mum No Computer’s unusual tech-led act still chasing a UK win. Defence & Tech in Ukraine: Ukraine’s commander Oleksandr Syrskyi met UK Chief of Defence Staff Sir Richard Knighton, saying Russia has intensified offensives and that Ukraine is leaning on intelligence and modern solutions. AI Regulation Pressure: UK regulators and the finance watchdog are warning firms to prepare for frontier AI model cyber risks. NHS Data Overhaul: England’s NHS Modernisation Bill backs a Single Patient Record, pushing secure sharing so patients don’t repeat histories. UK Business Tech: HMRC has signed a £175m Quantexa deal to boost data, analytics and AI fraud-fighting.

Facial Recognition Under Fire: The Biometrics watchdog warns police could face court action over “not fool proof” live facial recognition, after the Met Police said it will use it at the Unite the Kingdom protest in London. Border Tech Update: UK e-gates are expanding from July 8 so children aged eight and nine can use them, aiming to cut queues for up to 1.5m extra kids a year. Big Tech Scrutiny: The UK’s competition watchdog has opened a strategic market status probe into Microsoft’s business software licensing, focusing on whether bundling and interoperability limits customer choice. Energy & Consumer Fallout: Ofgem says British Gas will pay £70m to settle a prepayment meter scandal, while Scotland’s HFSS rules from Oct 1, 2026 force food firms to reformulate to keep prime supermarket promo space. Geopolitics & Industry: China warns the UK over plans to nationalise British Steel, as tensions deepen around Scunthorpe. AI in the Spotlight: Aston’s Prof Victor Chang is named Data Scientist of the Year, highlighting real-world healthcare and security impact.