The U.S. Commodity Futures Trading Commission\'s workforce has fallen to its lowest level in 15 years after dropping 24% since President Donald Trump\'s return, even as oversight demands increase for cryptocurrencies, oil futures and rapidly growing prediction markets. Staff numbers fell to 535 as of February after layoffs and departures. Lawmakers and former officials raised concerns about weakened enforcement capacity, while the agency said it is using artificial intelligence and software to fill gaps.

Microsoft stressed an open AI ecosystem at a National Assembly event and said South Korea should focus on corporate AI transformation based on its semiconductor competitiveness rather than building a standalone large language model. A Microsoft executive said most countries have failed to develop sovereign LLMs despite heavy investment. Participants called for policy changes on interoperability, data use and certification. South Korean ministries said they share the direction but need public consensus and prioritisation.