It has always been difficult for the world to regulate technology—especially technology that moves fast. But, as FP’s Rishi Iyengar wrote in May, artificial intelligence, “with its immense potential to transform economies and societies—not necessarily for the better—presents an unprecedented challenge.”
This edition of Flash Points examines how global powers are approaching that challenge. The essays below consider what AI governance should look like, how it might affect democracy, and the potential pitfalls of conventional approaches to regulation.
People look at Pangu AI weather models during the World Artificial Intelligence Conference in Shanghai, China, on July 7.Wang Zhao/AFP via Getty Images
What the U.S. Can Learn From China About Regulating AI
Over the past two years, China has enacted some of the world’s earliest and most sophisticated rules for AI, Matt Sheehan writes.
Matt Chase illustration for Foreign Policy
The AI Regulation Paradox
Regulating artificial intelligence to protect U.S. democracy could end up jeopardizing democracy abroad, Bhaskar Chakravorti writes.
U.S. President Joe Biden takes part in an event discussing the opportunities and risks of artificial intelligence in San Francisco on June 20. ANDREW CABALLERO-REYNOLDS/AFP via Getty Images
The Global Race to Regulate AI
The intelligence may be artificial, but the regulation is real—or might be, FP’s Rishi Iyengar reports.
An attendee tries out a virtual-reality Meta Oculus Quest 2 headset during the Mobile World Congress, focused on artificial intelligence and other technology, in Barcelona, Spain, on March 3, 2022. Joan Cros/NurPhoto via Getty Images
Europe’s Tech Curbs Are a Double-Edged Sword
The continent’s eagerness to regulate global tech companies could backfire on its own, Jeremiah Johnson writes.
Then-OpenAI CEO Sam Altman greets committee chairman Sen. Richard Blumenthal on arriving for testimony before the Senate Judiciary Subcommittee on Privacy, Technology, and the Law on Capitol Hill in Washington on May 16.Win McNamee/Getty Images
Build AI by the People, for the People
Washington needs to take AI investment out of the hands of private companies, Bruce Schneier and Nathan E. Sanders write.