t a time of exploding global AI and other frontier technology invention, the Trump administration has elevated the mostly anti–guardrail Silicon Valley tech accelerationists to positions of great influence. Witness the well–covered work of Elon Musk with DOGE—whether he’s the official head or not— and the less discussed but still very anti–regulation proponent David Sacks who now chairs the President's Council of Advisors on Science and Technology. Early Trump executive orders reflect this hostility toward guardrails.
While regulatory upheaval in the U.S. is much–discussed, the AI and exponential landscape globally is evolving rapidly.
We are heading into a multipolar world generally (and more specifically regarding technology and technology regulation) where the most significant “poles” will be the US, China, and the EU. Witness the unveiling of DeepSeek and increased state support for exponential tech development in China on one hand, and the doubling down on robust regulatory systems for exponential tech in the EU on the other.
What this translates into for business and other decision makers is the prospect of an increasingly complicated navigation landscape requiring a lot of reliable data, systemic planning and brave action—not necessarily in sequence but simultaneously and continuously.
Below are a few considerations.
For business:
Governance still matters. Don’t relax your internal governance and guardrails just because the government is.
Stakeholders still matter. The wellbeing of your stakeholders is paramount—if you treat them badly, they will not stay.
Reputation risk has a long tail. Your corporate reputation is on the line—short term gains are not worth the long tail of a lost reputation.
For individual stakeholders:
Be an educated consumer/user. Educate yourself from reliable sources about the tech products and services you use or purchase.
Use your boycott power. Don’t join a company or organization (or use or buy a product) from a company that doesn’t care about your and other stakeholders’ safety or wellbeing.
For other key actors:
The work of responsible governments, inter-governmental organizations and civil society could not be more critical to the future wellbeing of the planet. Why? Because these exponential technologies—including GenAI—hold unbelievable promise in addition to the perils for which we need good governance. So please continue and build on your essential work.
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Navigating the many headed hydra of global tech regulation
Photo by Bruno Martins on Unsplash.
March 27, 2025
As global tech regulation fragments, leaders must balance innovation, ethics, and governance in a fast-evolving AI landscape, writes Andrea Bonime-Blanc.
A
t a time of exploding global AI and other frontier technology invention, the Trump administration has elevated the mostly anti–guardrail Silicon Valley tech accelerationists to positions of great influence. Witness the well–covered work of Elon Musk with DOGE—whether he’s the official head or not— and the less discussed but still very anti–regulation proponent David Sacks who now chairs the President's Council of Advisors on Science and Technology. Early Trump executive orders reflect this hostility toward guardrails.
While regulatory upheaval in the U.S. is much–discussed, the AI and exponential landscape globally is evolving rapidly.
We are heading into a multipolar world generally (and more specifically regarding technology and technology regulation) where the most significant “poles” will be the US, China, and the EU. Witness the unveiling of DeepSeek and increased state support for exponential tech development in China on one hand, and the doubling down on robust regulatory systems for exponential tech in the EU on the other.
What this translates into for business and other decision makers is the prospect of an increasingly complicated navigation landscape requiring a lot of reliable data, systemic planning and brave action—not necessarily in sequence but simultaneously and continuously.
Below are a few considerations.
For business:
Governance still matters. Don’t relax your internal governance and guardrails just because the government is.
Stakeholders still matter. The wellbeing of your stakeholders is paramount—if you treat them badly, they will not stay.
Reputation risk has a long tail. Your corporate reputation is on the line—short term gains are not worth the long tail of a lost reputation.
For individual stakeholders:
Be an educated consumer/user. Educate yourself from reliable sources about the tech products and services you use or purchase.
Use your boycott power. Don’t join a company or organization (or use or buy a product) from a company that doesn’t care about your and other stakeholders’ safety or wellbeing.
For other key actors:
The work of responsible governments, inter-governmental organizations and civil society could not be more critical to the future wellbeing of the planet. Why? Because these exponential technologies—including GenAI—hold unbelievable promise in addition to the perils for which we need good governance. So please continue and build on your essential work.
