AI Regulation & Policy

Today's Stories

1. 1

   Mastercard CEO: AI agents and machine payments reshape commerce

   Mastercard CEO Michael Miebach discussed the company's new Agent Pay protocol and its recent acquisition of BVNK, a large stablecoin platform, to support AI-driven commerce and machine-to-machine payments. Agent Pay tokenizes transactions and adds cybersecurity services, creating growth opportunities for Mastercard. Machine-to-machine payments could improve working capital efficiency for businesses by enabling pay-as-you-use compute and digital content.

   The Agent Pay for Machines Protocol, launched recently, aims to facilitate high-velocity micro-payments between machines, potentially using stablecoins or other rails. Mastercard is closing the BVNK acquisition this quarter.

2. 2

   Judge Tosses Part of CVS AI Investor Suit

   A New York federal judge trimmed a proposed investor class action against CVS Health Corp. on Thursday. The suit alleges CVS concealed that its profitability was largely driven by its use of artificial intelligence. The ruling narrows the claims but allows the core allegation to proceed. Investors claim CVS hid how much AI contributed to its profits, which could affect how the company communicates its AI use going forward.

   The case now moves forward with the remaining claims. Whether CVS changes its public disclosures about AI's role in profitability remains to be seen.

3. 3

   JAPAN AI joins AI interview and HR evaluation council

   JAPAN AI, the company behind the AI-powered recruitment platform "JAPAN AI HR," has joined the AI Interview and HR Evaluation Services Council (AIAC). The company decided to participate after endorsing AIAC's purpose, drawing on its experience in AI R&D and consulting. AIAC promotes the proper use of AI interviews and healthy social implementation to transform recruitment. In October 2025, it established the "AI Interview Service Provider Guidelines" and offers the "HR AI Ethics Conformance Certification" to review compliance with these guidelines. JAPAN AI will now help spread the guidelines and develop the certification system.

   As a member, JAPAN AI plans to cooperate with administrative bodies and experts to promote appropriate use of AI in HR. Its "JAPAN AI HR" platform supports recruitment with AI-generated scout messages, document screening scoring, interview minute generation, evaluation summaries, and interactive AI interviews.

4. 4

   Mastercard CEO: Agent Pay Protocol and Stablecoin Acquisition

   Mastercard CEO Michael Miebach discussed the company's Agent Pay protocol, which accredits AI agents as recognized parties in transactions, and noted that these transactions are starting to flow now. The protocol aims to enable agentic commerce, where AI shopping agents handle checkouts, and machine-to-machine payments for B2B commerce, potentially increasing transaction volume and offering new services like tokenization and cybersecurity.

   Mastercard is closing this quarter the acquisition of BVNK, a large stablecoin platform, to drive interoperability across multiple chains and stablecoin currencies.

5. 5

   ECRI expands reporting to cover AI errors

   ECRI, a nonprofit patient safety organization, is expanding its reporting system to include errors involving artificial intelligence in healthcare. As AI tools are used more in clinical settings, mistakes involving them can harm patients; tracking these errors helps providers identify and prevent problems early.

   The expansion means healthcare organizations can now report AI-related incidents through ECRI's existing channels, potentially leading to more transparent AI oversight.

6. 6

   Vietnam urges Qualcomm, Samsung to deepen AI, chip investment

   Vietnam's government has asked Qualcomm and Samsung to increase their investment in artificial intelligence and semiconductors as part of the country's push to upgrade its technology sector. The request signals Vietnam's ambition to move up the technology value chain, focusing on AI and chips as key areas for future growth. The companies' decisions could shape the country's tech landscape.

   Whether Qualcomm and Samsung respond to the request by committing new funds or projects to Vietnam, and how this aligns with the country's broader tech modernization goals.