1. The EU Regulatory Stumble: Missed Deadlines & Uncertainty

In a major reversal of yesterday's expectations, the European Commission has missed the February 2 deadline to provide final guidance on Article 6 (High-Risk AI).

• The Delay: Officials admit they are still "integrating feedback" and now plan to release a final draft for morefeedback later this month.

• The "Omnibus" Escape: Brussels is now floating a Digital Omnibus package that could push back the enforcement of high-risk obligations by up to 16 months.

• The Impact: For businesses, this is a double-edged sword: they get a "breathing room" extension, but they are left in a legal gray area regarding which products are actually allowed in the EU market come August.

2. GitHub vs. The "AI Code Deluge"

GitHub is reportedly preparing new restrictions on Pull Requests (PRs) to combat a massive surge in AI-generated code submissions.

• The Problem: Maintainers are being overwhelmed by a "deluge" of low-quality, AI-authored code that looks correct but often contains subtle security vulnerabilities or logic flaws.

• The Solution: GitHub is eyeing a "Verified Human" or "Rate-Limited AI" status for contributors to ensure that open-source repositories aren't buried under a mountain of machine-generated noise. Read more: GitHub eyes restrictions on pull requests to rein in AI-based code deluge

3. The $5 Trillion King & the Great AI Race

Nvidia has made history today, becoming the first company to reach a $5 trillion market value. This comes as the debate over the U.S.-China AI gap reaches a fever pitch.

• The Politics: In statements released today, U.S. leadership claimed the country is "winning the race by a lot."

• The Reality: Independent experts (and the latest Poynter reports) argue that while the U.S. leads in raw hardware and model scale, China is only 3–6 months behind in fundamental model capability and possesses a massive lead in green energy infrastructure to power its data centers. Read more: Trump says the U.S. is winning the AI race; experts say China is close behind

4. IBM’s Warning: 57% of Skills Obsolete by 2030

IBM has launched a global "Impact Accelerator" RFP today, backed by a sobering study from the IBM Institute for Business Value.

• The Statistic: Executives now anticipate that 57% of current employee skills will be obsolete by 2030 due to AI integration.

• The Response: IBM is offering pro bono grants, including access to their watsonx and Granite AI models, to organizations that can use AI to bridge the widening gap between education and the 2026 labor market. Read more: IBM Opens Global RFP for AI-Driven Solutions in Education

Prompt of the Day: The "Skill Decay" Auditor

With IBM's warning that nearly 60% of skills will soon be obsolete, use this prompt to figure out where your "Human Moat" is.

The Prompt:

"I work in [Your Industry]. Based on the IBM 2026 Skills Report, analyze my current top 5 daily tasks. For each task, provide a 'Replacement Percentage' (how much an AI agent can do) and a 'Nuance Necessity'(where my human judgment is irreplaceable). Finally, suggest one 'Hybrid Skill' I should learn this month to ensure my role remains in the 43% of skills that won't be obsolete by 2030."