You’ve seen the headlines. You’ve attended the boardroom presentations. Some consultant with expensive slides told you AI will “transform your workforce” and you nodded along while mentally calculating severance packages.
Before you start drafting those redundancy letters, let’s talk numbers. Not the shiny projected ones. The real ones.
I’m co-founding an AI consulting and auditing startup for SMEs. We help companies that are too big to ignore AI, too small for expensive international consultants.
What I Actually Do
Consulting & Implementation: ISO 42001 AI Management Systems, ISO 27001 Information Security. I help organizations build governance frameworks that actually work.
Auditing: Certified ISO 27001 auditor, ISM and AIM. Independence matters - I keep consulting and auditing roles strictly separate.
2025 was the year of simplification. Complex workflows collapsed into a few buttons. The distance between “I want this” and “done” is approaching zero. Soon we’ll be generating things through neural interfaces paired with AI agents. (Screenshot this.)
Now everyone can make anything - and everyone does. Content factories pump out AI-generated slop at industrial scale. Algorithms lock us into bubbles of perfectly curated comfort: soft, familiar, frictionless. Reels, shorts, endless scroll. Attention has become reflexive. In this ocean of noise, good ideas drown as quickly as bad ones.
Does your online marketplace publish user-generated listings without verifying the personal data they contain? A landmark ruling from the Court of Justice of the European Union in Russmedia Digital (C-492/23) just fundamentally changed how platforms must handle personal data - and the compliance burden is substantial.
Marketplaces Are Now Data Controllers
The Court ruled that marketplace operators qualify as data controllers under the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) for personal data contained in user-posted listings - even when platforms neither create the content nor know the advertiser’s identity. The rationale? By deciding to make listings public and exploiting them commercially, platforms exercise control over personal data processing.
ISO 42001:2023 isn’t just another compliance checkbox. This comprehensive framework provides structured guidance for designing, developing, and deploying AI systems while promoting accountability, transparency, and trust. For organizations grappling with AI implementation challenges, KPMG’s achievement signals a critical shift toward standardized AI governance.
Are you still building your compliance framework around the current GDPR, AI Act, and Data Act requirements? The European Commission just published the most sweeping reform of EU digital laws since 2018 - and everything you thought you knew about data protection compliance might be about to change.
The Regulatory Earthquake You Can’t Ignore
On 19 November 2025, the European Commission released two proposed regulations that will fundamentally reshape how businesses handle data, AI, and cybersecurity in Europe. The Digital Omnibus (2025/0360) and Digital Omnibus on AI (2025/0359) aren’t minor tweaks - they’re a complete rethinking of the EU’s approach to digital regulation.
The Hamburg Commissioner for Data Protection and Freedom of Information (HmbBfDI) imposed this substantial penalty on a financial company for failing to provide adequate transparency in automated credit card application decisions. The violation? The company couldn’t explain to customers why their applications were rejected by their algorithmic systems.
Have you ever wondered what happens when artificial intelligence enters the courtroom? A UK First-Tier Tribunal judge recently provided a notable answer, becoming one of the first to openly disclose using AI in drafting a judicial decision - and the implications extend far beyond the legal profession.
A Notable Step Toward Transparency
In Evans v HMRC, Judge Christopher McNall made legal history by transparently disclosing his use of artificial intelligence to summarize documents and assist in drafting his decision. While this may not be the absolute first time a judge in an English court has used AI tools, McNall’s significance lies in his complete transparency and documented approach that followed the judiciary’s AI guidance.
Are you prepared for the regulatory shift that could redefine how your business operates with AI? Italy has just made history by becoming the first European Union member state to pass comprehensive national artificial intelligence legislation, and the implications extend far beyond Italian borders.
The Landmark Decision That Changes Everything
On September 17, 2025, the Italian Parliament approved Law No. 132 of 23 September 2025, officially taking effect on October 10, 2025. This groundbreaking legislation doesn’t just complement the EU AI Act – the European Union’s comprehensive framework that classifies AI systems by risk levels – it fills critical gaps and establishes precedents that other European nations are likely to follow.
Are you deploying AI agents without understanding the legal minefield you’re navigating? While competitors rush to automate processes with intelligent agents, smart organizations are discovering that regulatory compliance - not just functionality - determines long-term success.
The Multi-Framework Challenge That’s Catching Everyone Off Guard
AI agents don’t operate in a regulatory vacuum. Unlike traditional software, these autonomous systems must simultaneously comply with multiple overlapping frameworks that create unprecedented complexity for businesses.
Have you ever wondered what happens when artificial intelligence meets the courtroom? California just provided a stark answer, issuing a $10,000 fine to a lawyer who submitted a court appeal filled with fabricated quotes generated by ChatGPT.
The Wake-Up Call Your Legal Department Needs
This case represents the first such sanction at the state appellate level, but it’s not the groundbreaking regulatory milestone it might initially appear. Federal courts have been issuing sanctions for AI-generated fake citations since 2023, most notably in the well-documented Mata v. Avianca case in New York federal court where lawyers were sanctioned for similar ChatGPT fabrications.
Are you still manually handling tasks that your competitors are automating with intelligent AI agents? While you’re drowning in repetitive workflows, forward-thinking businesses are deploying AI agents that think, decide, and act autonomously - and they’re doing it faster than ever with platforms like n8n.
The AI Agent Reality Check
AI agents aren’t just chatbots with fancy names. These are autonomous systems that can perceive their environment, make decisions, and take actions without constant human supervision. Think of them as digital employees who can analyze data, book meetings, manage customer inquiries, and even troubleshoot technical issues - all while you focus on strategic initiatives.
Are you certain your pseudonymised data transfers comply with GDPR? A significant ruling from the Court of Justice of the European Union (CJEU) on September 4, 2025, has provided important clarification on when pseudonymised data qualifies as personal data - and the implications could refine your data management strategy.