Reuters reports that a new U.N. Economic Commission for Africa report says African states should borrow, strengthen domestic revenue and mobilise pension and sovereign wealth funds to build the infrastructure needed for AI. The report ties AI opportunity directly to energy, data centres, skills and digital sovereignty rather than treating adoption as a software issue alone.
The Office for National Statistics has released fresh UK business survey data showing that 26% of businesses reported using at least one type of AI technology and 18% planned adoption within the next 3 months. The figures make AI uptake more visible as a live business trend, while still showing that near-term expansion remains uneven rather than universal.
Regulation
HM Courts & Tribunals Service has published the Chair’s Summary of its March 2026 Strategic Engagement Group meeting, which included presentations and circulated papers on ‘artificial intelligence and automation in national services’. The document does not create a new rule, but it is a same-date official signal that AI governance and operational automation are now embedded in justice-system programme oversight.
Academia
SSRN lists Precautionary Governance of Autonomous AI, posted on 1 April 2026. The paper argues for limited legal personhood as a functional governance tool for advanced autonomous systems, pushing the debate beyond safety principles toward institutional design and allocable responsibility.
Events
The European Commission has published the event page for From Test to Field: Connecting AI, Robotics and Digital Services for Agri-Food SMEs, scheduled for 15 April 2026. The session is framed around deployment support, Testing and Experimentation Facilities, and Digital Innovation Hubs rather than abstract promotion of AI.
The European Innovation Council and SMEs Executive Agency lists an EU Webinar & Horizon Results Platform: Artificial Intelligence for 22 April 2026. The event is relevant because it focuses on commercialisation and uptake pathways for AI results within the EU innovation system.
Sources: Reuters, Office for National Statistics, GOV.UK, CourtListener, SSRN, European Commission, European Innovation Council and SMEs Executive Agency