US joins in call to regulate Big Tech; EU proposes AI tech regulation

Get insights on the latest news about emerging trends in cyberspace from Marietje Schaake, International Policy Director at Stanford University's Cyber Policy Center and former European Parliamentarian:

This week we talk about one of my favorite topics, regulation. Laws are often framed as a barrier to innovation and not always recognized as a key enabler of freedoms and the protection of rights. But what's more is that regulation is a process, and one that can have tons of different outcomes. So, being in favor or against regulation doesn't mean anything. Except that those who oppose any changes are apparently benefiting from the status quo.

Is the world at a tipping point when it comes to regulating big tech?

And I would say absolutely. The outsized power of big tech is recognized more broadly because the harms are so blatantly clear. Harms to democracy, public health, but also to fairness in the economy are all related to the outsized power of unaccountable and under-regulated big tech. Now, what's significant is that this debate has finally hit home in the United States after it was already recognized as a problem in many other parts of the world.

How does the EU's proposed regulation on AI technology differ from other countries, like China and the US?

Well, the brand-new EU AI regulation proposed this week takes a values, but also a risk-based approach, and essentially is the first continent to move with a comprehensive strategy for ensuring that AI does not cause death, or ends due process, destroys privacy, or creates unprecedented powerful corporate manipulators. So, all eyes are now out for what the European Parliament and the governments of EU member states will say in response to this proposal by the European Commission. Because together these three institutions will negotiate and ultimately vote before we can actually speak of a law that has entered into effect.