What the UK’s New AI Strategy Means for Innovators
On 13 January 2025, the United Kingdom unveiled its long-awaited AI Opportunities Action Plan, marking a significant step in shaping the country’s future with artificial intelligence (AI). With £14 billion in private sector commitments and transformative ambitions spanning public and private sectors, this plan represents a major shift in how the UK approaches artificial intelligence and could create substantial opportunities for the UK’s small businesses and independent developers. What is in the plan? At its core, the UK’s AI [...]
A Scroll Down Memory Lane: December 2024’s Member Mondays
ACT | The App Association’s members are at the forefront of innovation, leveraging technology to create meaningful solutions that drive positive change. Each month, we spotlight these trailblazing small businesses through our Member Monday series. In December, we closed out the year by reflecting on the incredible impact our members have made across major regions and industries. From cybersecurity to workforce development and digital transformation, these innovators continue to push boundaries and drive meaningful change in the global app economy. [...]
2025 Global Policy Passport
Members of ACT | The App Association are innovative small businesses and independent developers driving change in the global app economy. From artificial intelligence and digital trade to connected health and decentralized technologies, our members build the tools and services that power today’s digital world. Just as a passport enables global movement, thoughtful policies open doors for small businesses to innovate, create jobs, and connect with communities worldwide. To sustain this progress, government policies must encourage innovation and growth rather [...]
Event Recap: UK Parliament Member Drop-In Day
On 4 December 2024, ACT | The App Association members took their innovative products to the UK Houses of Parliament for our inaugural UK Member Drop-In Day. This event marked a significant step in amplifying our members' voices, ensuring that their businesses and innovations are at the forefront of UK policymakers’ discussions. Below is a recap of our exciting day of small business activation and advocacy. Drop-In Day Highlights Over the course of two hours, we packed as many [...]
Our New EU Tech Policy Guide is Live
Policy priorities are shifting across the European Union (EU) as new leadership comes onboard in the European Commission, European Parliament, and the Polish Presidency of the Council of the European Union. For small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) in the app economy, staying competitive means understanding how these changes impact innovation and growth. Our new EU Tech Policy Guide supports both ACT | The App Association members and policymakers across the EU, offering a clear roadmap of the key issues [...]
The AI Ecosystem: Dynamic, Competitive…and Misunderstood
Reading into the recent rhetoric from some competition authorities, one might come away with the impression that the AI ecosystem is dominated by a handful of companies working to corner the market and entrench their positions. For example, the UK’s Competition & Markets Authority (CMA), in its April 2024 report on foundational models expressed concern that incumbent tech companies could heavily steer the direction of AI markets, possibly stifling healthy competition. CMA relies on an arbitrarily narrow view of [...]