Politics
Where artificial intelligence meets politics – legislation, questions of power and societal consequences.
Decisions at a glance
GermanyMilestone
Wildberger names third or fourth place new AI interim goal
Digital Minister Wildberger says at the Neuhardenberg cabinet retreat that Germany should aim for third or fourth place in the global AI race rather than the top spot.
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Germany raises AI Gigafactory funding to one billion euros
The Research Ministry raised its funding share for a German AI Gigafactory by 200 million to one billion euros, aiming to strengthen bidders in the EU tender.
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Berlin police start AI video surveillance at Kottbusser Tor
Berlin's first automated behaviour recognition in public space. The cameras analyse movement patterns; faces stay unidentifiable.
Read the post →EULaw
EU AI Act transparency obligations take effect
Article 50 of the AI Act applies EU-wide: chatbots must be identifiable as AI and AI content labelled. Fines of up to 15 million euros.
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Munich Regional Court I rules for GEMA against Suno
Training on and reproducing six protected compositions without a licence infringes German copyright. Suno announces an appeal.
Read the post →EUMilestone
EuroHPC opens tender for seven AI gigafactories
Expected investment of more than 30 billion euros, at least 20 billion of it private. Applications close on 12 November 2026.
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Cabinet approves AI Migration Administration Act
The Federal Cabinet allows BAMF and immigration authorities to use AI in asylum procedures. Pro Asyl and AlgorithmWatch warn of discrimination; Bundestag debates after summer break.
Read the post →EUDecision
EU Commission orders Google to open Android to AI rivals
A binding order under the Digital Markets Act: eleven Android features must be open to rival AI assistants by August 2027.
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German media regulator classifies Google and Perplexity AI search as content providers
The ZAK strips both providers of the liability privilege for AI answers. Google announces an objection.
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China plans export controls for its best AI models
After the US restrictions, Beijing also limits access to frontier models. Europe is caught between both blocs; InvestAI stays underfunded.
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Cabinet approves Energy Efficiency Act amendment
The federal cabinet eases reporting and efficiency duties for data centers, including a trade-secret exemption. Bundestag and Bundesrat debate the bill in fall 2026.
Read the post →EUDecision
Apple delays core AI features in the EU
Apple blames Digital Markets Act obligations for delaying Siri AI. The EU Commission disagrees: nothing in the DMA blocks the launch.
Read the post →GermanyDecision
Munich Regional Court I holds Google liable for its AI overview
Google must stop its AI overview from falsely accusing a publishing house of fraud. AI output counts as the operator's own statement.
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Hamm Higher Regional Court: companies are liable for their chatbot
A clinic is answerable for specialist titles its chatbot invented. The court treats the output like a statement by an employee.
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- AI-Economy
Bill Gates on AI jobs: no plan, and a 19% entry-level gap
Bill Gates published a roughly 6,000-word essay on August 26 that breaks with the tone he has used for years. In 2023 he compared his enthusiasm for AI to the arrival of the PC and the internet. Now…
- AI-Policy
Wildberger lowers Germany's AI target to third place
Digital Minister Karsten Wildberger formulated a new interim goal for German AI policy on August 25, 2026, during the cabinet retreat of the federal government in Neuhardenberg: third or fourth place…
- AI-Policy
Federal Government Eases Reporting Obligations for Data Centers
Germany's state data center register remains full of gaps: more than half of the reporting operators have not submitted consumption data for 2025. At the same time, the federal government wants to…
- AI-Policy
Germany brings AI law for asylum procedures to Bundestag
The Federal Cabinet approved the draft for an AI Migration Management Act at the end of July, which allows the Federal Office for Migration and Refugees (BAMF) and the immigration authorities to use…
- Research
Bremen hosts IJCAI-ECAI: first time in Germany in 43 years
Bremen will host the IJCAI-ECAI from August 15 to 21, 2026, one of the oldest and most significant AI conferences. After the last German edition in 1983 in Karlsruhe, around 4,000 researchers from…
- AI-Economy
Germany raises AI Gigafactory funding to one billion euros
The federal government is increasing its funding commitment for a German AI gigafactory by around 200 million to one billion euros. This was announced by the Federal Ministry of Research according to…
- Society
Berlin Police Launches AI Surveillance at Kottbusser Tor
The Berlin police will launch their first AI-supported behavior recognition system in public spaces at Kottbusser Tor in August 2026. Cameras automatically analyze movement patterns of passersby and…
- Legal
EU AI Regulation: Labeling Requirement for AI Content Starts
As of today, August 2, two independently enacted but deliberately simultaneous labeling obligations for AI content take effect in the EU and California. In the EU, violations of Article 50 of the AI…
- AI-Economy
EU tenders seven AI gigafactories worth 30 billion euros
The EU has opened its call for up to seven AI gigafactories. Consortia and special purpose vehicles can bid until November 12, 2026, with selection due in early 2027. Investment of more than 30…
- AI-Policy
EU forces Google to open Android for AI rivals
The EU Commission mandates Google to open Android for competing AI assistants like ChatGPT, Claude, and Perplexity. The binding directive from July 16, 2026, is based on the Digital Markets Act and…
- Legal
Google: Media supervision classifies AI search as content provider
The Commission for Licensing and Supervision of the State Media Authorities (ZAK) issued decisions against Google and Perplexity for the first time on July 14, 2026, classifying their AI search…
- AI in Practice
ChatGPT Returns to WhatsApp: Free Access Across the EU
Since July 13, 2026, ChatGPT works again directly inside WhatsApp – with no extra app needed. An order from the European Commission forces Meta to reopen the messenger to outside AI chatbots. The…
- AI in Practice
ChatGPT Is Back on WhatsApp in the EU Since July 13
ChatGPT can be used directly inside WhatsApp again as of this week, with no extra app required. This is possible thanks to an order from the EU Commission forcing parent company Meta to reopen the…
- AI-Policy
Apple Intelligence remains blocked in the EU for the time being
With iOS 27 and iPadOS 27, several central AI features from Apple remain unavailable in the European Union for the time being. Apple confirmed this in an official statement in the Apple Newsroom on…
- AI
Germany's biggest AI missteps: asleep and scattered
Germany has not failed at a single point in artificial intelligence – it has become entangled over the years in a chain of decisions, the consequences of which are now, in mid-2026, clearly visible…
- Geopolitics
The Vise Closes: AI Control Becomes an Arms Race
According to Reuters, China held talks in June 2026 with Alibaba, ByteDance, and Z.ai about export controls for its advanced AI models. The Chinese Ministry of Commerce is discussing restricting the…
- AI
EU AI Act: AI transparency obligations apply from August 2, 2026
As of August 2, 2026, binding transparency obligations for Artificial Intelligence will apply throughout the EU. The basis is Article 50 of the AI Regulation (Regulation (EU) 2024/1689), which has…
