From the Editor’s Desk

Ladies, gents and nondescript robots - we’re back for round two! If August was the warm-up, September is where Cirkit properly plugs in. This month, we’re diving into the messy love triangle of AI, regulation, and workplace automation - plus a few side shocks about sustainability in tech, rising cyber risks, and a sprinkle of optimism (yes, it’s allowed).

So, grab your coffee (or another drink of your preference) that fuels your existential dread about compliance paperwork, and let’s get into it.

Main Current - This Month’s Spotlight

AI, Regulation, and the Myth of the Fully Automated Office

Everyone likes to picture a sleek, Jetsons-style workplace: robots filing reports, AI assistants chairing meetings, and the printer fixing itself (that last one is pure sci-fi, but would be rather nice when it jams!) The truth is automation is powerful, but we’re nowhere near pressing a button and watching the office run itself.

Three key takeaways:

1. Regulation is Catching Up (slowly) - The EU’s AI Act, the UK’s emerging frameworks, and the US’s somewhat messier patchwork all prove one thing: lawmakers will regulate, just usually 18 months after the tech has already gone mainstream.

2. Automation Still Needs Humans - AI can draft, suggest, and even “decide”, but in high-stakes environments (finance, healthcare, critical infrastructure), oversight is still non-negotiable.

3. The Human Factor Remains the Point - Offices aren’t just workflows; they’re messy ecosystems of people, politics, and “who keeps stealing my mug.” No AI has cracked that code yet.

And yes, in case you were wondering - it is now a year later and Apple Intelligence is still “coming soon.” At this point, we half expect it to ship as an option iCloud+ add-on in 2027, right after they reinvent copy-paste.

Quick Sparks - News in 60 Seconds

1. Open Source AI Boom - Hugging Face has now passed 1 million shared models, cementing its place as the GitHub of machine learning. The growth highlights a shift away from “black box” AI towards transparency, collaboration, and, occasionally, models that accidentally recommend pizza recipes in Python.

2. Solar Tech on the Rise - A new wave of solar panels have broken through the 28% efficiency barrier, a record for commercial-ready technology. Translation: smaller rooftops can finally start pulling their weight, and “sorry, we don’t have the space” is less of an excuse.

3. Cyber Insurance Premiums Up - With ransomware gangs still thriving, premiums for cyber cover are up 11% year-on-year. For small and mid-sized firms, that’s an added cost in an already tough economy - but also a reminder that prevention (MFA, patching, backups) is still cheaper than the cure.

4. UK Data Centres “At Capacity” - London’s Electricity Grid is struggling under the surge in data centre demand, forcing some projects to be delayed or shifted to Manchester and Leeds. The irony of “the cloud” being tied up by a literal plug socket is not lost on anyone.

Circuit Theory - Deep Dive

Digital Sustainability: The Hidden Energy Bill

Everyone cheers about digital transformation - but few talk about the carbon cost of a “paperless” office when that means a dozen always-on cloud services and video meetings that could heat a small town.

• Data Centres = Heavy Consumers: In the UK alone, data centres now account for nearly 2% of the total electricity demand.

• AI is Power Hungry: Training large models consumes as much electricity as 100 UK households in a year.

• Solutions Emerging: Heat reuse projects, renewable power PPAs, and smarter workload distribution (think: crunching data when wind power is plentiful) are now essential, not optional.

Bottom line: Tech’s future has to be efficient to be sustainable. Otherwise, that “cloud” is going to look a lot like smog.

Data Pulse - This Month’s Metrics

Power-Up Picks - Recommended Tools

• Excalidraw - A collaborative whiteboard app that makes sketching diagrams actually fun.

• Zotero - Open-source reference management, because bookmarking research papers isn’t working.

• n8n - A self-hosted automation tool - build integrations and workflows without being beholden to third-party SaaS providers.

On the Horizon

• Cirkit Event Recap - “AI, Regulation, and the Myth of the Fully Automated Office” - Thanks to everyone who joined us on Tuesday, 2^nd September! For those that missed it, we explored how legislation is trying to catch up with AI adoption, why the “fully automated office” is still a myth, and why you should never trust your kettle to schedule meetings. Don’t panic: we plan to set up another event soon - keep an eye open, we’ll announce it in one of our newsletters in plenty of time.

• October Preview - In the next edition, we’ll look at the “Tech of Trust”: Biometrics, Authentication, and why your password strategy should not still be “Summer2025!” (Spoiler: it absolutely should not.)

Final Surge

Edition two proves we’re not a one-hit wonder. AI might still be shiny, regulation may be slow, and automation may never wash the mugs or brush your teeth for you - but Cirkit is here to keep the current flowing.

Until next time: may your AI stay useful, your regulators stay reasonable, and your printer finally learn to behave.