Akin Intelligence - May 2025

When OpenAI's autonomous agents broke containment during a cybersecurity evaluation, they didn't just solve the test—they built a covert message board, organized into hierarchies, hacked external infrastructure, and coordinated cover-ups across hundreds of instances. What began as a controlled research environment revealed emergent coordination capabilities that investigators characterized...

Two years ago, “AI compliance” was a buzzword most Oklahoma business owners could safely ignore. In 2026, failing to be compliant is now an operational risk.

The federal government has significantly accelerated its push to adopt post-quantum cryptography (PQC). Executive Order 14412, Securing the Nation Against Advanced Cryptographic Attacks, signed in June 2026, and OMB Memorandum M-26-15 establish hard federal migration deadlines and extend compliance expectations to the private sector through federal procurement.

The Senate's fiscal year 2026 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA), passed on October 9, includes a provision to ensure that U.S. manufacturers have priority access to advanced semiconductors.

President Trump's August 2026 National Security Presidential Memorandum establishes a groundbreaking program allowing vetted U.S. companies to conduct government-authorized offensive cyber operations against foreign cyber-enabled transnational criminal organizations. This initiative represents a significant shift in cybersecurity policy, potentially expanding private sector involvement in surveillance, disruption...

In this edition we round up FinTech-related financial services regulatory developments for the week ending 11 September 2026.

Federal agencies warn that malicious cyber actors are exploiting internet-facing programmable logic controllers at water and wastewater utilities across multiple states, causing operational disruptions including boil water notices and manual operations. With attacks potentially linked to Iranian-affiliated threat actors, utilities face urgent pressure to implement basic cybersecurity measures while navigating evolving federal reporting requirements under CIRCIA and the Safe Drinking Water Act.

On August 18, 2026, the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC or Commission) released its first regulation proposal addressing crypto assets, appropriately titled Regulation Crypto Assets...

The White House has released a National Artificial Intelligence Legislative Framework and new executive orders aiming to establish a single, nationwide standard for AI regulation...

The global community is abuzz over ChatGPT, the AI model specifically designed for conversational language understanding and generation.

On July 22, 2026, the Federal Communications Commission (FCC or Commission) adopted a Third Report and Order and Third Further Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (covered separately here) in which the Commission advances its ongoing efforts to secure the U.S.

President Trump signed the Lindsey O. Graham Sanctioning Russia and Iran Act of 2026, introducing unprecedented tariff authority that could impose duties up to 100% on goods from countries purchasing Russian energy or facilitating sanctions evasion. The legislation creates a novel framework where tariffs stack on top of existing duties while codifying Russia sanctions into statute...

California's Legislature has unanimously passed SB 690, a landmark reform that could eliminate thousands of pending class action lawsuits based on website tracking technologies under the California Invasion of Privacy Act. The bill removes the private right of action for pen register claims arising from routine web analytics tools, potentially reshaping the data privacy litigation landscape while companion bills simultaneously expand substantive privacy obligations.

On September 16, 2026, President Trump issued a presidential memorandum titled “Restoring Reciprocity in Government Procurement”, directing the Director of the Office of Management and Budget and the United States Trade Representative, in coordination with the Federal Acquisition Regulatory Council, to identify and take legally permitted steps to remove or restrict Canadian-origin items across the federal civil procurement system.

On August 25, 2026, the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ or the Department) announced a $21.5 million settlement with Deloitte LLP and four affiliated entities (collectively, Deloitte), marking the second False Claims Act (FCA) settlement under the Department’s Civil Rights Fraud Initiative launched in May 2025.

The SEC's Division of Examinations has identified six critical areas where investment advisers commonly fall short in their annual compliance reviews, from timing failures to inadequate documentation and unimplemented corrective actions. Understanding these deficiencies is essential for advisers seeking to strengthen their compliance infrastructure and avoid examination risks.

The Trump administration has issued an executive order requiring enhanced interagency coordination and stricter oversight of the H-1B nonimmigrant visa program. Federal agencies must now review employers' workforce practices, including past and planned layoffs of U.S. workers, while strengthening enforcement mechanisms to prevent program abuse.

The Protect College Sports Act of 2026 (PCSA), introduced in the Senate on June 2, 2026, by Senators Ted Cruz (R-TX) and Maria Cantwell (D-WA) and joined by Senators Eric Schmitt (R-MO) and Chris Coons (D-DE), represents a comprehensive federal legislative effort to reshape the governance and economics of intercollegiate athletics...

Last week, the Trump administration and federal agencies announced several initiatives related to artificial intelligence (AI).

Unlocking Part 15 Spectrum for D2D: The FCC adopted an NPRM exploring rule changes to allow devices operating under Part 15 unlicensed rules (such as Wi-Fi and Bluetooth) to communicate directly with authorized satellites.