Independent strategic adviser: technology, investment and government

Two days at the Global Corporate Venturing Symposium in London confirmed something I have believed for years: the biggest barrier to innovation in investment, defence, and deep tech is not the technology. It is the risk-averse culture inside the institutions that should be accelerating it. Here is what the signals said, and why it matters now.

Two landmark global studies published this month reveal something the AI industry is not yet ready to hear. Public trust in AI is falling in the markets that matter most, and the information environment through which people form their opinions about it is in crisis. This is not a communications problem. It is a strategic one. Julio Romo draws on data from the Ipsos AI Monitor 2026 and the Reuters Institute Digital News Report 2026 to examine what the signals mean for AI companies, governments, and investors, and why tactical communications is making the trust deficit worse, not better.

The US just switched off Anthropic's most powerful AI models for the world. Here is what that means for every nation betting on AI for growth.

The UK life sciences sector is backed by world-class science, £520 million in government commitments, and new private market infrastructure. So why is 94% of late-stage capital still coming from overseas?

Bond markets are not the enemy of governments. They are the trustees of other people's futures, and they are asking one question that too many policy teams are failing to answer.

AI adoption is accelerating. So is the reputational and governance risk for organisations moving faster than the evidence supports