In The Battle Between Big Tech And European Regulators, Who’s The Likeliest Winner?

Although nations around the world understand that technology is irreversibly ingrained in our collective society, that hasn’t stopped leaders far and wide from stressing the need for regulatory guardrails — particularly as AI continues to evolve at a breakneck speed.

And the European Commission has been at the forefront, taking on some of the world’s biggest tech firms directly while implementing laws aimed at protecting the public.

But has tech become too big to regulate?

The European effort

As other nations (including the U.S.) struggle to come up with a cohesive regulatory plan, the European Commission has shown that, at least on paper, such regulation is possible.

It all stems from the Digital Services Act, which lays out some pretty robust restrictions on tech companies operating across the European Union.

Most recently, the commission took on Microsoft over allegations that its Bing AI platform was insufficiently moderated — but the efforts came in the lead-up to parliamentary elections, sparking concerns that voters wouldn’t have the facts necessary to make an informed decision.

Plenty of hurdles remain

While the European Commission seems to be doing more to rein in Big Tech than many other agencies around the world, it’s clearly fighting an uphill battle.

For starters, regulators have to keep an eye on a growing number of companies. In addition to Microsoft, the commission has recently taken on Google, Meta, and Apple. And then there’s the fact that regulators just aren’t equipped to understand the inner workings of AI and other platforms … at least not on the same level as the engineers and developers working for Big Tech.

But with the stakes this high, people everywhere are hoping that Europe’s effort to tackle disinformation, harassment, exploitation, and other tech-related ills not only succeeds on that continent but spread around the world.

Chris Agee June 10th, 2024

Share this story: