In today’s Digest, we discuss the EU rolling out an AI strategy to reduce foreign reliance, OpenAI giving content owners more control on Sora, and Instagram testing an iPad-style layout.

EU rolls out AI strategy to reduce foreign reliance

The European Commission is preparing to unveil a new “Apply AI” strategy designed to cut Europe’s reliance on foreign artificial intelligence providers, particularly those from the US and China. According to a draft seen by the Financial Times, the initiative will promote European-built AI platforms to strengthen the bloc’s industrial competitiveness and technological resilience across key sectors such as healthcare, defence, and manufacturing. The document warns that Europe’s dependence on external providers leaves its critical infrastructure and software vulnerable to weaponisation by hostile actors.

OpenAI gives content owners more control on Sora

OpenAI is introducing new tools that let content rights holders decide how their intellectual property is used in its AI video-generation platform, Sora. Announced by CEO Sam Altman, the update allows film and TV studios to block or permit the use of their characters under specific terms as part of a broader effort to share revenue with creators who opt in.

Altman said the new rights tools offer “more granular control,” as Hollywood adapts to AI-driven content creation and attempts to balance creative freedom with fair compensation. Altman also conceded that despite tighter safeguards, “some edge cases of generations that get through that shouldn’t” are inevitably a nod to the ongoing challenge of policing AI-generated content at scale.

But resistance is already building: sources told Reuters that Disney has chosen to block its content from appearing in Sora, underscoring growing friction between tech platforms and traditional studios.

Instagram tests iPad-style layout, opening on Reels 

Instagram is experimenting with a major redesign that makes Reels the default home tab, part of an opt-in test rolling out in India. The update shifts the app’s layout to prioritise short-form video and direct messages, two of the platform’s biggest growth drivers, according to Instagram head Adam Mosseri.

In a demo shared by Mosseri, the top section retains familiar elements, most notably the horizontal Stories bar, but as users scroll, the layout transitions seamlessly into a full-screen Reels view, mirroring the current Reels tab experience where video dominates the feed. Meta said the design was intended “to reflect how people use bigger screens today – for lean back entertainment.”