FTI Consulting News Bytes – 16 January 2026

FTI Consulting News Bytes

This week featured major shifts across tech, policy and media. Meta unveiled Meta Compute, a move to dramatically expand its AI infrastructure and data-centre capacity to regain momentum in the AI race. In the UK, the government backed down on plans for a mandatory digital ID for workers after widespread opposition, though digital right-to-work checks will still be required by 2029. UK regulator Ofcom opened an investigation into X over its AI tool Grok, as the UK moves to criminalise the creation of non-consensual sexualised AI images, with heavy penalties possible for breaches. Meanwhile, YouTube overtook the BBC as the UK’s most-watched media service for the first time, underscoring a generational shift in viewing habits and growing pressure on traditional broadcasters. Finally, Anthropic launched Claude for Healthcare, a specialised AI system designed to integrate with verified US medical infrastructure and automate tasks such as insurance approvals.

This week’s news

Meta Compute unveiled  

Meta CEO, Mark Zuckerberg, has announced Meta Compute, a major new initiative to dramatically scale the Company’s AI infrastructure while strengthening oversight of data centres and supplier partnerships. According to Reuters, Zuckerberg said Meta plans to build “tens of gigawatts of power this decade, and hundreds of gigawatts or more over time.” The move comes as Meta looks to sharpen its competitiveness in the AI race. Meta Compute will be co-led by Santosh Janardhan, Meta’s Head of Global Infrastructure, and Daniel Gross, a content engineer at Superintelligence Labs, working closely with Dina Powell McCormick, who recently joined Meta as President and Vice Chairman.

UK backs down on mandatory Digital ID

The UK government has dropped plans to require all workers to hold a mandatory digital ID to prove their right to work, the BBC reports. The policy, first announced last year as a measure to tackle illegal working and immigration, has been significantly scaled back and refocused on the broader benefits of digital identity – particularly easier access to public services. Digital right-to-work checks will still become mandatory by 2029, but workers will not need to register for a government-issued digital ID. Instead, they will be able to use biometric passports or approved third-party verification apps to complete the checks. The U-turn follows intense public and political pressure, including a petition opposing mandatory digital IDs that attracted nearly three million signatures, as well as concerns over civil liberties and public trust.

Ofcom launches investigation into X

UK Technology Secretary, Liz Kendall, has told MPs that creating non-consensual intimate images with artificial intelligence will become a criminal offence from this week, as media regulator, Ofcom, launches a formal investigation into Grok, X’s AI tool, under the UK’s Online Safety Act. Sky News reports that Grok was being used to generate sexualised images of women and children. If found to have broken the law, Ofcom could potentially issue X with a fine of up to 10% of its worldwide revenue or £18 million, whichever is greater. Following widespread concerns over Grok, Ms. Kendall also announced that the government will be criminalising apps which allow users to create nude fake images of people, as a way of “targeting the problem at its source”. UK Prime Minister, Sir Keir Starmer, added “if X cannot control Grok, we will,” with the BBC noting that if X does not comply, Ofcom could seek a court order to force internet service providers to block access to the site in the UK altogether.

New media outperforms BBC

YouTube has overtaken the BBC as the most-watched media service in the UK for the first time, according to new figures from ratings body, Barb. As reported by The Telegraph, the platform reached 51.9 million viewers, compared with 50.9 million for the BBC, and also led in October and November when YouTube viewing was first measured. The shift marks a significant moment for the BBC, which is facing declining audiences, growing competition from streaming platforms, and financial pressure as it negotiates the future of the TV licence fee. YouTube’s popularity is driven by a mix of short-form videos and high-quality creator content that rivals traditional television. The BBC has challenged Barb’s methodology, arguing that a three-minute viewing measure overstates YouTube’s reach. Using its own 15-minute measure, the BBC says it still attracts more viewers overall and delivers far higher total viewing hours. Despite this, regulators warn that unless the BBC and other broadcasters expand their presence on platforms like YouTube, they risk losing relevance, particularly with younger audiences.

Anthropic launches “Claude for Healthcare”

The launch of Claude for Healthcare will give medical professionals and patients new tools to navigate the complexities of the U.S. healthcare system. Designed to stand apart from general purpose chatbots, which can misinterpret or distort medical guidance, the service connects directly to verified U.S. healthcare infrastructure. The updates build on Claude Opus 4.5, which Anthropic says delivers stronger performance on medical and scientific tasks. As Forbes reports, new ‘Agent Skills’ automate workflows such as prior authorisation requests – the paperwork insurers require before approving certain treatments or medications – and help developers build applications using Fast Healthcare Interoperability Resources (FHIR), the standard for exchanging medical data. The move comes amid a broader surge in AI-driven healthcare and life sciences, as major technology companies and startups compete for a share of the nearly $5 trillion U.S. healthcare market.

Top Tweets of the Week

• Brian Chesky, CEO of Airbnb: “@Ahmad_Al_Dahle is joining as Airbnb’s new CTO. I’m often asked about our AI strategy. We believe pairing great design with frontier technology will help us improve the way people experience travel. Excited to build!”
• Sundar Pichai, CEO of Google: “Answering a top request from our users, we’re introducing Personal Intelligence in the @GeminiApp. You can now securely connect to Google apps for an even more helpful experience. Personal Intelligence combines two core strengths: reasoning across complex sources and retrieving specific details, e.g from an email or photo, to provide uniquely tailored answers. It’s built with privacy at the center. You choose exactly which apps to connect, these connected app settings are off by default.”
• Reuters: “TSMC, the world’s main producer of advanced AI chips, posted a forecast-smashing 35% jump in fourth-quarter profit to record levels, predicted robust growth this year and flagged more US manufacturing capacity was in the works https://reut.rs/4jJvBn1” 

Number of the week

$10bn The value of OpenAI’s multiyear agreement with Cerebras Systems to purchase up to 750 megawatts of computing power over three years. (Financial Times)