A rare policy consensus emerges as AI’s impact moves beyond innovation into governance and societal risk
Updated
May 5, 2026 5:42 PM
A mechanical hand reaching for the hand of flesh. PHOTO: UNSPLASH
A new survey from Povaddo, a policy research firm, suggests that concern about artificial intelligence is no longer limited to industry or academia. It is now firmly present within the policy community.
The survey draws on responses from 301 public policy professionals across the United States and Europe, including lawmakers, staffers and analysts involved in shaping and evaluating public policy. A majority of respondents—61%—say governments are falling short in addressing the negative impacts of AI.
There is also broad agreement that regulation needs to increase. In the United States, 92% of respondents support stronger AI regulation, compared to 70% in Europe. At a time when consensus is often difficult, the findings point to a shared view across policy circles that current frameworks are not keeping pace with technological development.
Differences emerge when looking at how AI is affecting national contexts. In the U.S., 57% of policy experts believe AI is already harming the labor market. In Europe, 34% say the same. U.S. respondents are also more likely to see AI as a greater threat to jobs than immigration, with 63% holding that view compared to 47% in Europe.
On misinformation, responses are closely aligned. A large majority of policy experts in both regions expect an AI-driven misinformation crisis within the next one to two years—87% in the U.S. and 82% in Europe. Many also believe that AI-generated or AI-amplified misinformation could affect elections and public health information.
Some respondents frame the risks in more fundamental terms. In the United States, 41% of policy experts say AI poses an existential threat to humanity. In Europe, 29% share that view. U.S. respondents are also more likely to believe that advances in AI could harm global security and stability.
The findings come as policymakers begin to respond more actively. In the U.S., Senators Josh Hawley, Richard Blumenthal and Mark Warner have introduced bipartisan legislation focused on AI accountability, including measures aimed at protecting workers and children.
In Europe, the introduction of the EU AI Act marks a more advanced regulatory approach. The framework sets out rules based on levels of risk and is widely seen as the first comprehensive attempt to govern AI at scale.
William Stewart, President and Founder of Povaddo, said: "What makes these findings so significant is who is saying it. These are the practitioners who work inside the policy process every day, spanning every corner of the policy world from defense to healthcare to finance, not activists or everyday citizens. These findings foreshadow real action. The current path of governments accelerating AI deployment while falling short on governance is not sustainable, and the people who know that best are the ones in this survey. You cannot have nine-in-ten policy insiders demanding more regulation and four-in-ten calling AI an existential threat without that eventually moving the needle in Washington and Brussels in terms of legislative or regulatory action".
Taken together, the survey reflects a shift in how AI is being discussed within policymaking circles. Concern is no longer limited to future risks. It is increasingly tied to current gaps in governance and the pace of deployment.
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Mainland giants accelerate expansion as local players face unprecedented competition.
Updated
January 8, 2026 6:34 PM
HKTV Mall in Amoy Plaza. PHOTO: WIKIPEDIA USER -WPCPEY
Hong Kong is entering a new phase of competition as mainland platforms accelerate their expansion into the city, turning it into a frontline testing ground for Chinese companies preparing to push into global markets. With retail, logistics and food-delivery businesses all reshaped in the past year, Hong Kong has become the closest international environment where mainland firms can experiment with pricing, supply chains and customer behaviour under a familiar regulatory and cultural framework.
The shift became especially clear this week. At HKTVmall’s Vision Day on November 11, 2025, CEO Ricky Wong warned that Hong Kong’s traditional retail model is facing its toughest moment yet. He said the biggest threat is not mainland competitors like Taobao, JD.com or Pinduoduo entering Hong Kong, but the city’s longstanding dependence on physical shopping. If local retailers do not evolve, he said, they risk becoming “very easy to die of thirst in the desert”. Wong even welcomed the rise of mainland e-commerce giants, arguing that the more players enter the city, the faster consumers will shift online — a transition HKTVmall relies on for growth.
Yet his optimism is layered over a challenging reality. HKTVmall’s own numbers reflect pressure from competition and changing consumer habits. The company reported average daily GMV of HK$22.2 million during the latest shopping festival season — up 2.8% month-on-month but still down 4.3% compared year-on-year — showing that even established online platforms are struggling to maintain momentum as mainland entrants squeeze prices and widen product selection.
The city’s food-delivery market illustrates the shift even more sharply. Deliveroo, once the fastest-growing platform in Hong Kong and at one point holding more than half of the market, officially shut down in April this year after a long decline. Its trajectory mirrored the sector’s upheaval: the company surged during the pandemic but lost ground after restrictions eased, first overtaken by Foodpanda and then pressured heavily by Meituan-backed Keeta, which entered Hong Kong in 2023 and quickly seized about 30% of citywide orders.
Deliveroo’s exit and the handover of parts of its business to Foodpanda did little to stabilise the market. Keeta’s rapid expansion instead pushed Foodpanda onto the defensive, leaving two major players competing in a market shaped by mainland-style pricing and operations. Hong Kong’s delivery sector, once dominated by global firms, is increasingly defined by Chinese platforms optimizing speed and efficiency at a scale few competitors can match.
These changes are unfolding as Chinese companies shift their focus toward new global markets.
With China reducing its reliance on the US and EU and exports steadily moving toward ASEAN, Hong Kong has become a strategic launchpad. The city’s proximity, language familiarity and regulatory structure make it the nearest international setting where Chinese firms can test overseas strategies before expanding into Southeast Asia, the Middle East or Latin America. The result is a competitive intensity that local companies have rarely experienced. Retailers face price pressure they can’t match, local platforms are losing ground to mainland giants and global players are struggling to stay in the game.
Consumers benefit from lower prices, faster delivery and wider choice — but for Hong Kong businesses, the landscape has turned unforgiving. Mainland companies are not treating Hong Kong as a final destination but as the first stop in a broader global push. That positioning is reshaping the city’s entire consumer economy. As more mainland firms look outward, Hong Kong’s role as a testing ground will only deepen and the first players to feel the impact will be those operating closest to the consumer.