Artificial intelligence | UK Regulatory Outlook April 2026

UK updates 

DRCF publishes paper on the future of agentic AI 

The Digital Regulation Cooperation Forum (DRCF), which brings together the Information Commissioner's Office, the Competition and Markets Authority, the Financial Conduct Authority and Ofcom, has published a paper, The Future of Agentic AI.  

The DRCF describes the paper as a "forward-looking exploration of agentic AI", looking at ways in which UK regulatory frameworks can help realise the opportunities of this technology in a responsible and safe way. The paper is not a statement of regulatory policy, but rather aims to inform and foster stakeholder debate on potential future developments in agentic AI, and to provide insight into definitions, use cases, future scenarios and regulatory considerations. 

The paper sets out early thinking on cross-regulatory implications across four categories: governance, data protection and cybersecurity, consumer rights and interests, and market dynamics and competition. The DRCF notes that existing principles and regulatory frameworks continue to apply to agentic AI across each of these areas, including obligations relating to transparency, fairness, safety, consumer protection and competition. 

During 2026/27, the regulators plan to undertake horizon-scanning work. This will look at the future of interfaces between users, firms and digital services, and how these may be integrated into operating systems. It will also consider the future of consumer robotics and physical AI, which has an important agentic component. Finally, it will look at the consumer experience of the near-term future, exploring the kinds of changes to everyday life that may result from emerging technological developments. 

Parliamentary inquiry into low-energy computing  

The House of Commons Science, Innovation and Technology Select Committee has launched an inquiry examining whether low-energy computing could help address the rising energy demands driven by growing AI use, and what steps the government is taking to support R&D in this field.  

In particular, the committee is interested in an emerging area of innovation – neuromorphic photonics, which combines silicon photonics with neuromorphic computing principles – that has been highlighted as a potential solution to the sustainability challenges posed by increasing AI-related energy demands.  

Written evidence may be submitted until 14 May 2026. 

DfT publishes guidance for self-driving vehicle pilot schemes 

See products section. 

Automated decision-making: ICO consultation on updated guidance 

See data law section.  

EU updates 

European Commission consultation on measuring AI energy use  

The European Commission has launched a consultation as part of a broader study focused on measuring and promoting energy efficient, low emission AI in the EU. The responses will help shape the study, and feed into a framework for meeting the energy-related objectives of the EU AI Act and support the design of a potential AI energy and emission label. 

The EU AI Act includes provisions on energy consumption and transparency. Providers of general-purpose AI models must record the known or estimated energy consumption of their models as part of their technical documentation requirements. Building a full picture of the energy efficiency and carbon footprint of AI models and systems requires gathering data across multiple stages of the AI lifecycle, including on computing resources, electricity use and hardware. 

The consultation asks for views on the accessibility of data needed to assess the AI energy use during both development and day-to-day use, and which performance indicators work best. 

Interested stakeholders can register to take part in the consultation until 10 May 2026. Following validation, participants will receive an anonymous online questionnaire to complete by 15 May.