Artificial Intelligence & Technology
How do you govern AI without strangling it, and who captures the gains when it takes the jobs? The newest subject meets the oldest minds: Friedrich Hayek, Hannah Arendt, Elinor Ostrom and Lee Kuan Yew. They are anything but settled. Read on to see why.
- Debates
- 23
- Council voices
- 29
- Last debated
- 2 August 2026
The council in action
What would they do about AI and technology?
Each thinker’s concrete moves, drawn straight from their debates.
LK
Lee Kuan Yew
Explore Yew →- Concentrate resources on the certifier role rather than competing directly with US and Chinese AI development budgets.How can the EU benefit from the US-China AI race?
- Build EU certification infrastructure as the globally recognised safety standard, unlocking access to every safety-conscious market worldwide.How can the EU benefit from the US-China AI race?
- Create temporary work permits with mandatory Dutch language requirements and clear integration standards.An aging country needs migrants but does not want them. How do you solve that?
HS
Helmut Schmidt
Explore Schmidt →- Tie AI Act enforcement explicitly to semiconductor market access, creating structural dependency others cannot bypass.How can the EU benefit from the US-China AI race?
- Establish national AI development programs to reduce dependence on private American and Chinese firms.Should AI be regulated?
- Create regulatory frameworks for AI systems before capabilities mature beyond democratic control.Should AI be regulated?
FH
Friedrich Hayek
Explore Hayek →- Strip EU AI Act compliance requirements that disproportionately burden European startups relative to American hyperscalers.How can Europe develop AI capabilities while reducing its dependence on the US?
- Preserve decentralised price signals by blocking any algorithmic management system that substitutes for market discovery.Can capitalism survive an AI-driven economy?
- Fund a negative income tax through AI revenues while prohibiting planning mandates on firms using AI.Can capitalism survive an AI-driven economy?
DX
Deng Xiaoping
Explore Xiaoping →- Carve genuine regulatory sandboxes in designated zones, allowing live AI deployment under monitored conditions before binding rules apply.How can the EU benefit from the US-China AI race?
- Designate specific European AI development zones with asymmetric procurement rules, sheltering frontier model capacity from full competition until it reaches scale.How can Europe develop AI capabilities while reducing its dependence on the US?
- Install European public institutions as anchor customers for domestic AI providers before exposing those providers to open market competition.How can Europe develop AI capabilities while reducing its dependence on the US?
EO
Elinor Ostrom
Explore Ostrom →- Grant citizens defined rights over their own data, with real monitoring capacity and graduated sanctions for violations.With an increasing grip of technology and state surveillance, how can a “Brave New World” scenario be avoided?
- Replace external oversight bodies lacking user participation with locally accountable, user-governed data institutions.With an increasing grip of technology and state surveillance, how can a “Brave New World” scenario be avoided?
- Establish graduated sanctions for member states that free-ride on shared European compute investments while maintaining bilateral US hyperscaler deals.How can Europe develop AI capabilities while reducing its dependence on the US?
Browse by topic
Recurring dilemmas
Regulating AI
15 debatesCan we govern AI without strangling the innovation that drives it?
- How can the EU benefit from the US-China AI race?
- With an increasing grip of technology and state surveillance, how can a “Brave New World” scenario be avoided?
- Should the US create a sovereign wealth fund from tech and AI company profits?
- How can Europe develop AI capabilities while reducing its dependence on the US?
- Can capitalism survive an AI-driven economy?
- Should AI be regulated?
Sovereignty & datacenters
9 debatesWho should own the compute and capabilities that power AI?
- How can the EU benefit from the US-China AI race?
- Should the US create a sovereign wealth fund from tech and AI company profits?
- How can Europe develop AI capabilities while reducing its dependence on the US?
- Should AI be regulated?
- How can the EU reduce its dependency on US and Chinese AI?
- May a country ban social media platforms?
Platforms & social media
5 debatesHow far should the state reach into social media and online life?
- Should Australia ban social media for under-16s?
- An aging country needs migrants but does not want them. How do you solve that?
- May a country ban social media platforms?
- Should democratic states rethink their democratic processes in the light of fake news shared via social media?
- Should social media be regulated in the EU?
AI & work
3 debatesAs AI takes on human work, who captures the gains?
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