More than 500 police chiefs and law enforcement delegates from 59 countries gathered for the European Police Chiefs Convention 2026 to address how artificial intelligence is changing crime and creating new challenges for law enforcement. Held at Europol’s headquarters from September 28 to 30, the convention focused on AI, cybercrime, lawful access to data, disinformation, radicalisation and international cooperation. The event brought together representatives from 15 international organisations, including INTERPOL and the World Customs Organization. Europol Acting Executive Director Jürgen Ebner said organised crime has become increasingly digital and called for stronger national capabilities supported by shared European capabilities.

European Police Chiefs Convention 2026 Tackles AI-Driven Crime

A major focus of the European Police Chiefs Convention 2026 was AI in law enforcement and the changing role of artificial intelligence in criminal activity. According to Europol, criminals are using generative AI, deepfakes and autonomous agents to increase the scale and speed of their operations. These technologies are being misused in fraud, cybercrime, migrant smuggling and child exploitation. The convention also highlighted the potential benefits of AI for police agencies. Law enforcement can use the technology for faster data analysis, forensic investigations and intelligence gathering. However, participants said stronger international cooperation, investment in AI capabilities and regulatory frameworks will be needed as law enforcement agencies adopt the technology. [caption id="attachment_114531" align="aligncenter" width="600"] Image Source: Europol[/caption]

Deepfakes and AI Expand the Criminal Threat Landscape

The growing use of deepfakes was discussed as part of a broader shift in how criminals can use AI to support illicit activities. Europol said AI is amplifying criminal capabilities, with autonomous agents and generative AI allowing operations to be carried out at greater speed. The discussions placed these developments alongside existing concerns around online fraud and cybercrime. The convention did not frame AI only as a criminal threat. Law enforcement agencies are also looking at how the same technology can improve investigations and intelligence gathering. Henna Virkkunen, Executive Vice-President for Tech Sovereignty, Security, and Democracy at the European Commission, said the origin and control of technologies used for critical law enforcement capabilities are important considerations. She also highlighted the need to understand and reduce strategic dependencies affecting security infrastructure.

Lawful Access to Data Remains a Police Challenge

Another key topic was lawful access to data, alongside wider questions around information sharing and cross-border cooperation. Law enforcement representatives discussed how agencies can strengthen their ability to respond to increasingly digital criminal activity while working across jurisdictions. Wim Mijs, CEO of the European Banking Federation, also called for greater cooperation between banks, law enforcement, social media platforms and telecommunications companies to identify and stop online fraud before money is transferred. [caption id="attachment_114533" align="aligncenter" width="600"] Image Source: Europol[/caption] The discussions reflect the growing importance of cooperation between public authorities and private-sector organisations in responding to digitally enabled crime.

Radicalisation and Online Propaganda

The convention also examined the prevention of radicalisation, with law enforcement officials discussing online radicalisation, lone actors and changing forms of extremist activity. Europol said law enforcement faces challenges in identifying behavioural changes, dealing with encrypted communications and responding to rapidly changing propaganda. Algorithms and social isolation were also identified as factors that can amplify risks. Participants highlighted cross-border information sharing, community trust, platform accountability and early intervention as areas requiring attention.

Europol and Customs Agency Strengthen Cooperation

Police and customs representatives also discussed ways to disrupt cross-border criminal activity. Europol and the World Customs Organization signed a Joint Cooperation Action Plan for 2026–27 covering strategic analysis, information exchange and capacity building. The convention concluded with the presentation of the 2026 Europol Excellence Awards in Innovation. Law enforcement agencies from Spain, Denmark and the Netherlands received awards across three categories covering ethics, diversity and inclusion, innovative operations and technical solutions. The discussions at the European Police Chiefs Convention 2026 highlighted how law enforcement agencies are adapting to a threat environment increasingly shaped by digital technologies, AI and cross-border criminal activity.

Ofcom has opened an investigation into Aylo, the service provider of Pornhub, over its Pornhub age checks, examining whether the platform has met its legal obligations to prevent children from accessing pornographic content under the UK Online Safety Act.

The investigation focuses on a new age assurance process introduced by Pornhub in May 2026 for some users. The process relies on signals from Apple indicating that UK users attempting to access Pornhub may have completed Apple’s own age checks.

Under the Online Safety Act, responsibility for ensuring that age assurance is highly effective rests with the service provider, regardless of where in the process an age check takes place.

Ofcom Questions Pornhub’s Age Assurance Process

Ofcom said it is concerned that Aylo may not have carried out sufficient due diligence and testing before introducing the new process. The regulator is examining whether the system is sufficiently effective in preventing children from encountering pornography.

The investigation will assess whether Aylo complied with two key requirements under the Online Safety Act: using highly effective age assurance to prevent children from seeing pornography and completing a suitable and sufficient assessment of children’s access to the service.

Ofcom will also examine how Aylo implemented the process and whether the necessary due diligence was completed before deployment. The investigation will not determine how Apple operates its own age checks.

George Lusty, Ofcom’s Director of Enforcement, said online age checks are an important protection against children encountering inappropriate or harmful material and that technology companies are expected to ensure such systems are highly effective before deployment.

Ofcom Sets Out Investigation Process for Pornhub Age Checks

Ofcom said its investigation will begin with gathering and analysing evidence to determine whether a breach has occurred. If the regulator finds evidence of a compliance failure, it can issue a provisional decision to the company.

[caption id="attachment_114372" align="aligncenter" width="600"] Image Source: Ofcom[/caption]

Aylo would then have an opportunity to respond to Ofcom’s findings before a final decision is made.

If Ofcom determines that a company has broken the law, it can require the platform to take specific steps to comply with its obligations or address harm caused by the breach. The regulator can also impose fines of up to £18 million or 10% of qualifying worldwide revenue, whichever is greater.

Ofcom Expands Enforcement Against Intimate Image Abuse

The investigation comes alongside a separate Ofcom enforcement programme targeting the spread of illegal intimate images, including explicit AI-generated deepfakes.

Ofcom has said platforms should have automated hash matching technology in place by September 30 to detect and prevent the sharing of illegal intimate images. Platforms without hash matching must demonstrate that other systems and processes are equally effective at curbing the spread of non-consensual intimate images, or NCII.

Companies that fail to meet their legal duties could face fines of up to 10% of their global annual revenue.

Ofcom has partnered with SWGfL, which operates the StopNCII.org database and Revenge Porn Helpline, to share information and expertise on tackling intimate image abuse online.

The regulator is also seeking evidence from academics, survivor and victim support groups, and other stakeholders about how women’s and girls’ experiences online have changed.

Ofcom said the evidence will contribute to a report on industry progress in reducing online harms to women and girls. The regulator will also consider whether formal recommendations to the UK government are needed if industry action falls short.

The two enforcement efforts highlight Ofcom’s broader focus on requiring online services to put effective safeguards in place before harmful content or access risks materialise.

As enterprises race to bolt AI onto every business process, security leaders are being forced to answer a harder question than "should we adopt it" — it's "who's accountable when it goes wrong." To unpack this, The Cyber Express sat down with Harsha Reddy, Head of Information Security at Veterinary Emergency Group (VEG).

With nearly two decades in security leadership — including senior roles at Lixil and American Standard before joining VEG — Harsha brings a practitioner's view of where AI is genuinely changing the CISO's job, and where it's mostly just hype and shadow adoption.

Watch the Full Interview:

Harsha Reddy Explains Why AI Will Replace Tasks, Not Defenders

Harsha pushes back on the narrative that AI will hollow out security teams, pointing to Gartner research showing that while most fields are projected to lose jobs to AI, cybersecurity is expected to gain them. In his view, the technology is mainly absorbing the "toil" — log review, alert triage, evidence gathering — that keeps analysts from actually defending.

Also listen to S1 Episode: Awareness and Education at Young Age is the Answer to Cybersecurity Skill Gap

“It's the analyst who refuses to use AI that will get replaced by an analyst who uses it,” he says.

On adoption, Reddy points to a 2024 Microsoft-LinkedIn survey in which most executives called AI critical to their business, yet a majority had no formal plan and most had employees already bringing in their own tools. That gap, he argues, is why so many organizations are now dealing with AI-related data leaks. "Many organizations started onboarding AI like software when they should be onboarding it like staff." His fix isn't more restrictions — blocking AI just pushes it into the shadows — but guardrails, an internal AI enablement committee, and measuring actual business value instead of token consumption.

The conversation also digs into deepfake-driven fraud, why training employees to spot deepfakes is “a losing bet” at machine speed, and how he decides when to greenlight a new AI tool versus telling a business unit “not yet.”

The conversation closes with our newly introduced rapid-fire round "Express Shots" — Claude vs. ChatGPT, passkeys vs. passwords, and Reddy's prediction for the biggest cybersecurity threat of 2030.

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