Amer Altaf
@arkava.ai
AI, Cyber and Technology leader
Managing Editor @ The Control Layer — writing on AI governance, value realisation & leadership.
Founder Arkava (launching 2026) - Building sovereign AI that actually delivers.🇬🇧 UK
https://theControlLayer.arkava.ai/subscribe
Managing Editor @ The Control Layer — writing on AI governance, value realisation & leadership.
Founder Arkava (launching 2026) - Building sovereign AI that actually delivers.🇬🇧 UK
https://theControlLayer.arkava.ai/subscribe
Friday question: What's the most overhyped technology prediction from 2025 that quietly died?
The things we were "definitely" supposed to have by now that nobody talks about anymore.
I'll start: remember when every company was launching a metaverse strategy?
link.arkava.ai/join
The things we were "definitely" supposed to have by now that nobody talks about anymore.
I'll start: remember when every company was launching a metaverse strategy?
link.arkava.ai/join
January 9, 2026 at 8:30 AM
Friday question: What's the most overhyped technology prediction from 2025 that quietly died?
The things we were "definitely" supposed to have by now that nobody talks about anymore.
I'll start: remember when every company was launching a metaverse strategy?
link.arkava.ai/join
The things we were "definitely" supposed to have by now that nobody talks about anymore.
I'll start: remember when every company was launching a metaverse strategy?
link.arkava.ai/join
The most dangerous phrase in technology isn't "move fast and break things."
It's "we've always done it this way."
One is reckless. The other is extinction dressed as tradition.
Something worth sitting with.
link.arkava.ai/join
It's "we've always done it this way."
One is reckless. The other is extinction dressed as tradition.
Something worth sitting with.
link.arkava.ai/join
January 8, 2026 at 6:30 PM
The most dangerous phrase in technology isn't "move fast and break things."
It's "we've always done it this way."
One is reckless. The other is extinction dressed as tradition.
Something worth sitting with.
link.arkava.ai/join
It's "we've always done it this way."
One is reckless. The other is extinction dressed as tradition.
Something worth sitting with.
link.arkava.ai/join
GOV.UK One Login: 6M+ verified users, 50+ services, 40-60 min time savings per transaction.
UK's sovereign digital identity is becoming G7-leading.
Full analysis: thecontrollayer.arkava.ai
#GovTech #DigitalIdentity #UKTech #SovereignAI #PublicSector
UK's sovereign digital identity is becoming G7-leading.
Full analysis: thecontrollayer.arkava.ai
#GovTech #DigitalIdentity #UKTech #SovereignAI #PublicSector
January 8, 2026 at 12:30 PM
GOV.UK One Login: 6M+ verified users, 50+ services, 40-60 min time savings per transaction.
UK's sovereign digital identity is becoming G7-leading.
Full analysis: thecontrollayer.arkava.ai
#GovTech #DigitalIdentity #UKTech #SovereignAI #PublicSector
UK's sovereign digital identity is becoming G7-leading.
Full analysis: thecontrollayer.arkava.ai
#GovTech #DigitalIdentity #UKTech #SovereignAI #PublicSector
Most "AI strategies" are just PowerPoint decks that make executives feel modern.
Genuine question: has anyone actually seen one that survived contact with reality?
What separated the ones that worked from the ones that became shelf art?
link.arkava.ai/join
Genuine question: has anyone actually seen one that survived contact with reality?
What separated the ones that worked from the ones that became shelf art?
link.arkava.ai/join
January 8, 2026 at 8:02 AM
Most "AI strategies" are just PowerPoint decks that make executives feel modern.
Genuine question: has anyone actually seen one that survived contact with reality?
What separated the ones that worked from the ones that became shelf art?
link.arkava.ai/join
Genuine question: has anyone actually seen one that survived contact with reality?
What separated the ones that worked from the ones that became shelf art?
link.arkava.ai/join
Every failed state thought its institutions were too strong to fail. Every collapsed empire believed its technology made it invincible.
Arrogance is the last thing a civilisation feels before gravity takes over.
Something worth sitting with.
Arrogance is the last thing a civilisation feels before gravity takes over.
Something worth sitting with.
January 7, 2026 at 6:30 PM
Every failed state thought its institutions were too strong to fail. Every collapsed empire believed its technology made it invincible.
Arrogance is the last thing a civilisation feels before gravity takes over.
Something worth sitting with.
Arrogance is the last thing a civilisation feels before gravity takes over.
Something worth sitting with.
🧵 2024: The year AI agents stopped being demos and became deployments.
But the gap between headlines and reality is wider than vendors admit.
Here's what actually happened:
#AI #AgenticAI #TechAnalysis
But the gap between headlines and reality is wider than vendors admit.
Here's what actually happened:
#AI #AgenticAI #TechAnalysis
January 7, 2026 at 4:02 PM
🧵 2024: The year AI agents stopped being demos and became deployments.
But the gap between headlines and reality is wider than vendors admit.
Here's what actually happened:
#AI #AgenticAI #TechAnalysis
But the gap between headlines and reality is wider than vendors admit.
Here's what actually happened:
#AI #AgenticAI #TechAnalysis
Largest US healthcare breach: 100M people affected.
Root cause: Citrix portal without MFA.
$22M ransom. $705M disruption.
We build complex security while leaving basic doors unlocked.
#Cybersecurity #Healthcare #InfoSec #DataBreach #Security
Root cause: Citrix portal without MFA.
$22M ransom. $705M disruption.
We build complex security while leaving basic doors unlocked.
#Cybersecurity #Healthcare #InfoSec #DataBreach #Security
January 7, 2026 at 10:01 AM
Largest US healthcare breach: 100M people affected.
Root cause: Citrix portal without MFA.
$22M ransom. $705M disruption.
We build complex security while leaving basic doors unlocked.
#Cybersecurity #Healthcare #InfoSec #DataBreach #Security
Root cause: Citrix portal without MFA.
$22M ransom. $705M disruption.
We build complex security while leaving basic doors unlocked.
#Cybersecurity #Healthcare #InfoSec #DataBreach #Security
Counterintuitive finding from enterprise AI research:
Governance-first organisations deploy 4-6 weeks faster than those retrofitting controls later.
Pattern holds across Oracle, Infor, NHS programmes.
Full analysis: thecontrollayer.arkava.ai
#AIGovernance #EnterpriseAI #DigitalTransformation
Governance-first organisations deploy 4-6 weeks faster than those retrofitting controls later.
Pattern holds across Oracle, Infor, NHS programmes.
Full analysis: thecontrollayer.arkava.ai
#AIGovernance #EnterpriseAI #DigitalTransformation
January 7, 2026 at 9:03 AM
Counterintuitive finding from enterprise AI research:
Governance-first organisations deploy 4-6 weeks faster than those retrofitting controls later.
Pattern holds across Oracle, Infor, NHS programmes.
Full analysis: thecontrollayer.arkava.ai
#AIGovernance #EnterpriseAI #DigitalTransformation
Governance-first organisations deploy 4-6 weeks faster than those retrofitting controls later.
Pattern holds across Oracle, Infor, NHS programmes.
Full analysis: thecontrollayer.arkava.ai
#AIGovernance #EnterpriseAI #DigitalTransformation
Leaders in the next decade won't be defined by their AI fluency.
They'll be defined by their judgment—knowing when to reach for it and when to trust themselves instead.
The tool is easy. The wisdom to use it well is the hard part.
Something worth sitting with.
link.arkava.ai/join
They'll be defined by their judgment—knowing when to reach for it and when to trust themselves instead.
The tool is easy. The wisdom to use it well is the hard part.
Something worth sitting with.
link.arkava.ai/join
January 6, 2026 at 7:01 PM
Leaders in the next decade won't be defined by their AI fluency.
They'll be defined by their judgment—knowing when to reach for it and when to trust themselves instead.
The tool is easy. The wisdom to use it well is the hard part.
Something worth sitting with.
link.arkava.ai/join
They'll be defined by their judgment—knowing when to reach for it and when to trust themselves instead.
The tool is easy. The wisdom to use it well is the hard part.
Something worth sitting with.
link.arkava.ai/join
ESA got hacked through JIRA credentials. Not sophisticated – stolen passwords for development tools.
200GB claimed: source code, API tokens, credentials.
Same pattern hit Orange and Cloudflare this year.
Your dev infrastructure is your biggest blind spot.
thecontrollayer.arkava.ai
200GB claimed: source code, API tokens, credentials.
Same pattern hit Orange and Cloudflare this year.
Your dev infrastructure is your biggest blind spot.
thecontrollayer.arkava.ai
January 6, 2026 at 11:02 AM
ESA got hacked through JIRA credentials. Not sophisticated – stolen passwords for development tools.
200GB claimed: source code, API tokens, credentials.
Same pattern hit Orange and Cloudflare this year.
Your dev infrastructure is your biggest blind spot.
thecontrollayer.arkava.ai
200GB claimed: source code, API tokens, credentials.
Same pattern hit Orange and Cloudflare this year.
Your dev infrastructure is your biggest blind spot.
thecontrollayer.arkava.ai
We ask: "What jobs will AI replace?"
Better question: "What makes work meaningful when routine decisions are automated?"
Organisations optimise for efficiency. Few consider what gives people purpose.
#FutureOfWork #AI #Leadership #WorkLife #Philosophy
Better question: "What makes work meaningful when routine decisions are automated?"
Organisations optimise for efficiency. Few consider what gives people purpose.
#FutureOfWork #AI #Leadership #WorkLife #Philosophy
January 6, 2026 at 8:30 AM
We ask: "What jobs will AI replace?"
Better question: "What makes work meaningful when routine decisions are automated?"
Organisations optimise for efficiency. Few consider what gives people purpose.
#FutureOfWork #AI #Leadership #WorkLife #Philosophy
Better question: "What makes work meaningful when routine decisions are automated?"
Organisations optimise for efficiency. Few consider what gives people purpose.
#FutureOfWork #AI #Leadership #WorkLife #Philosophy
The best security teams I've worked with share one trait: they assume they've already been breached.
Not paranoia. Preparedness.
The question isn't "if" but "how long ago, and what did they take?"
Something worth sitting with.
Not paranoia. Preparedness.
The question isn't "if" but "how long ago, and what did they take?"
Something worth sitting with.
January 5, 2026 at 7:30 PM
The best security teams I've worked with share one trait: they assume they've already been breached.
Not paranoia. Preparedness.
The question isn't "if" but "how long ago, and what did they take?"
Something worth sitting with.
Not paranoia. Preparedness.
The question isn't "if" but "how long ago, and what did they take?"
Something worth sitting with.
FDA deployed agentic AI for all employees. Not experimenting. Deployed.
Use cases: drug reviews, surveillance, inspections.
While industries debate governance, regulators are building autonomous workflows.
thecontrollayer.arkava.ai
#HealthcareAI #FDA #AIGovernance #Regulation #AgenticAI
Use cases: drug reviews, surveillance, inspections.
While industries debate governance, regulators are building autonomous workflows.
thecontrollayer.arkava.ai
#HealthcareAI #FDA #AIGovernance #Regulation #AgenticAI
January 5, 2026 at 3:02 PM
FDA deployed agentic AI for all employees. Not experimenting. Deployed.
Use cases: drug reviews, surveillance, inspections.
While industries debate governance, regulators are building autonomous workflows.
thecontrollayer.arkava.ai
#HealthcareAI #FDA #AIGovernance #Regulation #AgenticAI
Use cases: drug reviews, surveillance, inspections.
While industries debate governance, regulators are building autonomous workflows.
thecontrollayer.arkava.ai
#HealthcareAI #FDA #AIGovernance #Regulation #AgenticAI
Chinese hackers breached a third-party vendor to access 3,000+ unclassified US Treasury files in December.
The attack vector wasn't the Treasury's systems. It was their supplier's.
Supply chain security isn't a compliance checkbox anymore. It's national security infrastructure.
#Cybersecurity
The attack vector wasn't the Treasury's systems. It was their supplier's.
Supply chain security isn't a compliance checkbox anymore. It's national security infrastructure.
#Cybersecurity
January 5, 2026 at 1:02 PM
Chinese hackers breached a third-party vendor to access 3,000+ unclassified US Treasury files in December.
The attack vector wasn't the Treasury's systems. It was their supplier's.
Supply chain security isn't a compliance checkbox anymore. It's national security infrastructure.
#Cybersecurity
The attack vector wasn't the Treasury's systems. It was their supplier's.
Supply chain security isn't a compliance checkbox anymore. It's national security infrastructure.
#Cybersecurity
Europe's dilemma: compete in AI or maintain climate leadership?
US burns fossil fuels for data centres. Europe requires efficiency disclosure first.
One builds faster. One builds cleaner. Neither clearly "right."
More on: theControllayer.arkava.ai
#AI #Climate #Europe #TechPolicy #DataCentres
US burns fossil fuels for data centres. Europe requires efficiency disclosure first.
One builds faster. One builds cleaner. Neither clearly "right."
More on: theControllayer.arkava.ai
#AI #Climate #Europe #TechPolicy #DataCentres
January 5, 2026 at 10:46 AM
Europe's dilemma: compete in AI or maintain climate leadership?
US burns fossil fuels for data centres. Europe requires efficiency disclosure first.
One builds faster. One builds cleaner. Neither clearly "right."
More on: theControllayer.arkava.ai
#AI #Climate #Europe #TechPolicy #DataCentres
US burns fossil fuels for data centres. Europe requires efficiency disclosure first.
One builds faster. One builds cleaner. Neither clearly "right."
More on: theControllayer.arkava.ai
#AI #Climate #Europe #TechPolicy #DataCentres
The gap between "AI-first company" in the pitch deck and spreadsheets held together with prayer and VLOOKUPs has never been wider.
Most digital transformation is analogue transformation with better fonts.
Something worth sitting with.
link.arkava.ai/join
Most digital transformation is analogue transformation with better fonts.
Something worth sitting with.
link.arkava.ai/join
January 4, 2026 at 8:30 PM
The gap between "AI-first company" in the pitch deck and spreadsheets held together with prayer and VLOOKUPs has never been wider.
Most digital transformation is analogue transformation with better fonts.
Something worth sitting with.
link.arkava.ai/join
Most digital transformation is analogue transformation with better fonts.
Something worth sitting with.
link.arkava.ai/join
23.77 million secrets leaked through AI systems in 2024. Up 25%.
Organisations passed audits. Still got breached.
Compliance frameworks assume human operators. AI agents don't work that way.
#Cybersecurity #AI #InfoSec #AIRisk #SecurityNews
Organisations passed audits. Still got breached.
Compliance frameworks assume human operators. AI agents don't work that way.
#Cybersecurity #AI #InfoSec #AIRisk #SecurityNews
January 4, 2026 at 6:01 PM
23.77 million secrets leaked through AI systems in 2024. Up 25%.
Organisations passed audits. Still got breached.
Compliance frameworks assume human operators. AI agents don't work that way.
#Cybersecurity #AI #InfoSec #AIRisk #SecurityNews
Organisations passed audits. Still got breached.
Compliance frameworks assume human operators. AI agents don't work that way.
#Cybersecurity #AI #InfoSec #AIRisk #SecurityNews
Salesforce added 6,000 Agentforce customers in 90 days.
18,500 total. 3 billion workflows monthly. $540M ARR.
While analysts debate AI bubbles, enterprises are building agentic infrastructure.
#Enterprise #AI #SaaS #AgenticAI #BusinessTech
18,500 total. 3 billion workflows monthly. $540M ARR.
While analysts debate AI bubbles, enterprises are building agentic infrastructure.
#Enterprise #AI #SaaS #AgenticAI #BusinessTech
January 4, 2026 at 2:30 PM
Salesforce added 6,000 Agentforce customers in 90 days.
18,500 total. 3 billion workflows monthly. $540M ARR.
While analysts debate AI bubbles, enterprises are building agentic infrastructure.
#Enterprise #AI #SaaS #AgenticAI #BusinessTech
18,500 total. 3 billion workflows monthly. $540M ARR.
While analysts debate AI bubbles, enterprises are building agentic infrastructure.
#Enterprise #AI #SaaS #AgenticAI #BusinessTech
Visa and Mastercard building AI agents that buy things for you. Launches Q1 2026.
When the agent books the wrong hotel, who's liable? Consumer? Merchant? AI platform?
Nobody knows yet.
thecontrollayer.arkava.ai
#Fintech #AI #AgenticAI #Payments #Commerce
When the agent books the wrong hotel, who's liable? Consumer? Merchant? AI platform?
Nobody knows yet.
thecontrollayer.arkava.ai
#Fintech #AI #AgenticAI #Payments #Commerce
January 3, 2026 at 3:02 PM
Visa and Mastercard building AI agents that buy things for you. Launches Q1 2026.
When the agent books the wrong hotel, who's liable? Consumer? Merchant? AI platform?
Nobody knows yet.
thecontrollayer.arkava.ai
#Fintech #AI #AgenticAI #Payments #Commerce
When the agent books the wrong hotel, who's liable? Consumer? Merchant? AI platform?
Nobody knows yet.
thecontrollayer.arkava.ai
#Fintech #AI #AgenticAI #Payments #Commerce
First Saturday of 2026. The "new year energy" is already negotiating with reality.
Genuine question: what are you actually curious about this year, not what you should be interested in, but what keeps you up at 2am?
Genuine question: what are you actually curious about this year, not what you should be interested in, but what keeps you up at 2am?
January 3, 2026 at 10:16 AM
First Saturday of 2026. The "new year energy" is already negotiating with reality.
Genuine question: what are you actually curious about this year, not what you should be interested in, but what keeps you up at 2am?
Genuine question: what are you actually curious about this year, not what you should be interested in, but what keeps you up at 2am?
UK: regulate handful of frontier labs, let others self-govern.
EU: comprehensive framework for entire ecosystem.
One creates standards. One creates arbitrage opportunities.
Which attracts better investment long-term?
#UKAI #AIRegulation #TechPolicy #AIGovernance #Brexit
EU: comprehensive framework for entire ecosystem.
One creates standards. One creates arbitrage opportunities.
Which attracts better investment long-term?
#UKAI #AIRegulation #TechPolicy #AIGovernance #Brexit
January 2, 2026 at 3:03 PM
UK: regulate handful of frontier labs, let others self-govern.
EU: comprehensive framework for entire ecosystem.
One creates standards. One creates arbitrage opportunities.
Which attracts better investment long-term?
#UKAI #AIRegulation #TechPolicy #AIGovernance #Brexit
EU: comprehensive framework for entire ecosystem.
One creates standards. One creates arbitrage opportunities.
Which attracts better investment long-term?
#UKAI #AIRegulation #TechPolicy #AIGovernance #Brexit
AI's quiet crisis: scaling laws are hitting walls.
Bigger models aren't producing proportionally better results. Labs pivoting to test-time compute instead.
The path forward is less clear than funding announcements suggest.
#AI #MachineLearning #LLMs #AIResearch #DeepLearning
Bigger models aren't producing proportionally better results. Labs pivoting to test-time compute instead.
The path forward is less clear than funding announcements suggest.
#AI #MachineLearning #LLMs #AIResearch #DeepLearning
January 1, 2026 at 3:03 PM
AI's quiet crisis: scaling laws are hitting walls.
Bigger models aren't producing proportionally better results. Labs pivoting to test-time compute instead.
The path forward is less clear than funding announcements suggest.
#AI #MachineLearning #LLMs #AIResearch #DeepLearning
Bigger models aren't producing proportionally better results. Labs pivoting to test-time compute instead.
The path forward is less clear than funding announcements suggest.
#AI #MachineLearning #LLMs #AIResearch #DeepLearning
Taiwan faces 2.4 million Chinese cyberattacks daily (National Security Bureau data).
Double the 2023 rate. Successful attacks up 20%.
We discuss future cyber wars. They're already happening.
#Cybersecurity #Geopolitics #InfoSec #Taiwan #CyberWarfare
Double the 2023 rate. Successful attacks up 20%.
We discuss future cyber wars. They're already happening.
#Cybersecurity #Geopolitics #InfoSec #Taiwan #CyberWarfare
January 1, 2026 at 9:18 AM
Taiwan faces 2.4 million Chinese cyberattacks daily (National Security Bureau data).
Double the 2023 rate. Successful attacks up 20%.
We discuss future cyber wars. They're already happening.
#Cybersecurity #Geopolitics #InfoSec #Taiwan #CyberWarfare
Double the 2023 rate. Successful attacks up 20%.
We discuss future cyber wars. They're already happening.
#Cybersecurity #Geopolitics #InfoSec #Taiwan #CyberWarfare
8.8M browsers infected because marketplaces review extensions once, then ignore every update forever.
5 years dormant. Verified badges earned. One silent update: backdoor.
The gate is guarded. The courtyard is not.
TheControlLayer.arkava.ai
#Cybersecurity #InfoSec
5 years dormant. Verified badges earned. One silent update: backdoor.
The gate is guarded. The courtyard is not.
TheControlLayer.arkava.ai
#Cybersecurity #InfoSec
January 1, 2026 at 2:01 AM
8.8M browsers infected because marketplaces review extensions once, then ignore every update forever.
5 years dormant. Verified badges earned. One silent update: backdoor.
The gate is guarded. The courtyard is not.
TheControlLayer.arkava.ai
#Cybersecurity #InfoSec
5 years dormant. Verified badges earned. One silent update: backdoor.
The gate is guarded. The courtyard is not.
TheControlLayer.arkava.ai
#Cybersecurity #InfoSec
2 February 2025: EU AI Act's first bans take effect.
Prohibited: social scoring, manipulative AI, public biometric surveillance.
The world's first comprehensive AI law is now operational.
thecontrollayer.arkava.ai
#AIAct #EURegulation #AIGovernance #TechPolicy #AILaw
Prohibited: social scoring, manipulative AI, public biometric surveillance.
The world's first comprehensive AI law is now operational.
thecontrollayer.arkava.ai
#AIAct #EURegulation #AIGovernance #TechPolicy #AILaw
December 31, 2025 at 3:04 PM
2 February 2025: EU AI Act's first bans take effect.
Prohibited: social scoring, manipulative AI, public biometric surveillance.
The world's first comprehensive AI law is now operational.
thecontrollayer.arkava.ai
#AIAct #EURegulation #AIGovernance #TechPolicy #AILaw
Prohibited: social scoring, manipulative AI, public biometric surveillance.
The world's first comprehensive AI law is now operational.
thecontrollayer.arkava.ai
#AIAct #EURegulation #AIGovernance #TechPolicy #AILaw