Extract from Aft, Determann, Phillips, and Isbell’s article “What’s on the Horizon for Data, Technology, Privacy and Cybersecurity?”
In 2026, organizations face a cyber and data landscape that is increasingly fragmented, with AI continuing to dominate debate.
In the US, California, Colorado and other states advanced numerous AI regulations, but President Trump has taken a deregulatory approach to AI at a federal level. In December 2025, he took the unprecedented step of discouraging states from regulating AI, via an executive order. The California governor vetoed a broad AI safety bill in 2024, but signed a narrowed version of the bill in October 2025. Colorado delayed implementation of its AI Act, and many expect further changes to the law.
Until recently, the EU was pressing ahead with legislative solutions to digital challenges. Alongside guidance on the existing provisions of the EU AI Act, it was consulting on new measures, including the Digital Fairness Act, in a bid to root out unethical commercial practices online. Then in November 2025, the EU published AI deregulation proposals designed to simplify the implementation of the AI Act.
