The Anthropic Economic Index indicates that the pace and nature of artificial intelligence adoption still differ markedly between countries, potentially widening existing economic and social inequalities worldwide. The data show that, despite the rapid development and spread of AI tools, their use in the workplace is strongly correlated with income levels and employment structures in individual countries, reinforcing the advantage of wealthier economies over less affluent ones.
From 12 January 2026, EU member states are required to harmonise the monitoring of per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) in drinking water, implementing new provisions of the revised EU Drinking Water Directive. This marks the first time that systematic testing of these compounds has been mandated across the entire EU, with the aim of better protecting public health from contamination by highly persistent chemicals.
The biggest barrier to deploying artificial intelligence tools in the UK’s NHS stems from problems integrating them with electronic patient record (EPR/EHR) systems, according to a new report by the Royal College of Physicians (RCP). The survey of 541 RCP members shows that a lack of interoperability between EPR systems is the key factor preventing clinicians from using AI effectively in everyday practice.
The FDA, through its Center for Biologics Evaluation and Research (CBER), has informed manufacturers of several widely used influenza vaccines that safety information must be updated after post-marketing surveillance data revealed a small but statistically significant increase in the risk of febrile seizures in young children shortly after vaccination.