Skip to content
Search AI Powered

Latest Stories

Forward Thinking

Report: Changing technology landscape puts policy center stage

AI regulations, tech protectionism, and supply chain security top list of global tech policy issues to watch in 2020, researcher says.

Report: Changing technology landscape puts policy center stage

Concerns about security and privacy are giving rise to efforts aimed at more closely regulating the technology landscape worldwide, according to a report from researcher Access Partnership, released this month.

The report, Tech Policy Trends in 2020, identifies the 10 most important policy trends to watch globally this year and points out themes the researchers say will recur throughout 2020. Artificial intelligence (AI) regulation, a wave of tech protectionism in Europe, and 5G security issues are at the top of the list.


"In this report, we present our view of the top ten tech policy trends to watch for in 2020," writes Access Partnership's Managing Director Greg Francis. "From AI regulation, to hardware and infrastructure, our teams explore how shifts in tech policy could disrupt life globally. While some governments seek to leverage the benefits of 5G, artificial intelligence, IoT, and data, others indulge in a desire to confront Big Tech borne by a tailwind of increased protectionism and climate urgency."

AI issues top the Access Partnership list. Researchers point to efforts by the European Union to legislate AI under the direction of new EU President Ursula von der Leyen, who took office December 1, 2019, and promised AI legislation in her first 100 days. The EU has laid out a vision of "human-centric" AI that is based on "defined ethical notions of security, privacy, and dignity," according to the report. Although the United States does not face the same time constraints and pressures as Europe, there are AI legislation initiatives underway, contributing to the "important year" ahead in both regions, the researchers said.

"2020 will be an important year for Europe and the US in forging their own approaches to AI regulation, with implications for the way transatlantic companies will conduct business on both sides of the Atlantic," according to the report. 

Other issues addressed in the report include: 

  • The Digital Services Act in Europe;
  • Tech protectionism in Europe;
  •  Supply chain security issues;
  •  Spectrum sharing issues;
  •  5G security;
  • US privacy law;
  • Data-sharing regulations; 
  • IoT regulation;
  •  The rise of 'green technology.'

The report is available via the Access Partnership website.

Recent

More Stories

shopper survey holiday peak

Rakuten: shoppers do not plan to increase their 2024 holiday spend

An overwhelming majority (81%) of shoppers do not plan to increase their holiday spend this year over last year, revealing a significant disconnect between retail marketers and shoppers in the weeks before peak season, according to online shopping platform provider Rakuten.

That result flies in the face of high confidence levels from retailers who have been delaying their marketing spend, as 79% of marketers are optimistic they will reach holiday sales objectives, and 65% are timing their spend as late as November.

Keep ReadingShow less

Featured

voting stickers for election results analysis

Report: Manufacturing leaders should think beyond November election

U.S. manufacturing leaders should think beyond November and focus on responsiveness for building long-term success regardless of who occupies the Oval Office in 2025, according to a report from Propel Software about uncertainty on business conditions as the presidential election approaches.

Regardless of the elected administration, the future likely holds significant changes for trade, taxes, and regulatory compliance. As a result, it’s crucial that U.S. businesses avoid making decisions contingent on election outcomes, and instead focus on resilience, agility, and growth, according to California-based Propel, which provides a product value management (PVM) platform for manufacturing, medical device, and consumer electronics industries.

Keep ReadingShow less
fuel cell truck EPA port grant zero emissions

EPA awards $3 billion through Clean Ports Program

Port authorities across the country will get help in purchasing zero-emission equipment thanks to $3 billion in federal funding to decarbonize their operations, the American Association of Port Authorities (AAPA) said today.

Provided by the Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) Clean Ports Program, the money will flow through 55 grants across 27 states and territories.

Keep ReadingShow less
person shopping for relex holiday trends survey

Survey: retailers face a “highly challenging” holiday season

The majority of American consumers (86%) plan to reduce their holiday shopping budgets this year, with nearly half (47%) expecting to cut spending by more than 50% compared to last year, according to consumer research from Relex Solutions.

The forecast runs against some other studies that predict the upcoming holiday shopping season will be stronger than last year, with higher sales and earlier shopping than 2023.

Keep ReadingShow less
An GenAI illustration of a cargo plane taking off into a sunlit sky over a port with containers piled high and cranes an cargo ships. In the sky there is an illustration of connected dots of light like a circuit board.

The East and Gulf Coast Port strike as well as an increase in imports from offshore e-commerce retailers helped to boost demand for airfreight in the second half of 2024.

happysunstock courtesy of Adobe Stock

Airfreight: Flying high

Like much of the transportation industry, the pace of change in the air cargo sector remains uncharacteristically high. Disruptions in other freight markets and emerging business models have added new demand for airfreight. The result for shippers has been more variability in rates, capacity availability, and service offerings than we saw last year.

Airfreight capacity levels have risen to historical highs this year in large part due to a growth in air passenger travel, which has opened up more belly-hold capacity for freight. As Boeing reports in its 2024 Commercial Market Outlook, air passenger demand has recovered from the pandemic and has returned to the long-term growth trend that Boeing had projected 20 years ago in 2004.

Keep ReadingShow less