Arnold outlines 5 areas where the ICO can contribute towards economic growth

The CEO of the Information Commissioner’s Office, Paul Arnold MBE, has written a letter to the Prime Minister, the Chancellor and the Secretary of State for Business and Trade on the regulator’s continuing efforts to support sustainable economic growth. The update focuses on five key commitments to provide regulatory certainty, reduce business costs, and foster innovation through the responsible use of data.

Central to these efforts is a new statutory code of practice for artificial intelligence (AI) and automated decision-making. Developed in coordination with the government, the code aims to position the UK as a primary destination for AI developers by offering a clear alternative to the European market. To further support innovation, the ICO is working with the Regulatory Innovation Office to design an experimentation regime that could include time-limited derogations from specific regulatory requirements to enable real-world testing of emerging technologies that are not currently permissible under existing data protection rules.

In other measures, Arnold highlights that the regulator will launch a new training and assurance platform for smaller businesses in Spring 2026 to reduce compliance burdens. Separately, the ICO is reviewing online advertising regulations to identify low-risk activities thatcan be conducted without consent, potentially unlocking growth in the advertising sector. Finally, on international trade, the ICO recently published updated guidance on cross-border data transfers, which underpin 40% of UK exports. 

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