RESPONSIBLE AI
“ THE UK AND JAPAN BOTH HOST GLOBALLY-SIGNIFICANT AI RESEARCH COMMUNITIES AND PRIVATE-SECTOR INNOVATORS”
Tom Winstanley CTO UK & Ireland NTT DATA
How are major powers responding to this dilemma? Nations are approaching this dilemma in very different ways. Some have imposed very few controls on the use of AI technologies – either seeking to support rapid growth of their AI businesses, or to provide the arms of state power with a potent range of new tools.
The US has taken the first of these routes: here, policy has leaned towards minimal oversight, with the government’ s AI Action Plan loosening restrictions intended to curb bias and misinformation. China has followed the second: its nationwide deployment of AI-powered facial recognition, as reported by AFP, reflects a model that relies on surveillance and central control. The European Union, on the other hand, has introduced tight restrictions on the use of AI by both private companies and public institutions through its AI Act, which closely safeguards the rights and freedoms of individuals.
These contrasting approaches are often framed as mutually exclusive: maximise innovation by minimising regulation or maximise protection by imposing strict controls. But this is a
138 June 2026