UK ICO secures data protection commitments from ten AI developers

The UK Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) announced that ten major foundation model developers have implemented or committed to data protection changes following regulatory scrutiny. The companies involved include Amazon, Anthropic, Apple, Cohere, DeepSeek, Google, Meta, Microsoft, OpenAI, and Stability AI.

The oversight program focused on compliance with UK data protection laws, specifically regarding legitimate interest, sensitive data, and the right to object. The ICO noted that developers needed to provide clearer transparency, stronger mechanisms for exercising individual rights, and more rigorous assessments of safeguards. The regulator highlighted that vague justifications, such as ‘training our models’ or ‘benefiting humanity,’ are insufficient for legal compliance.

In addition to these commitments, the ICO has launched a six-week call for evidence regarding the risks of agentic AI, which will run until 20 November 2026. The regulator has also initiated enquiries with OpenAI, Anthropic, Meta, and the UK’s AI Security Institute concerning the testing and deployment of AI agents.