Donald Trump’s decision to dismantle regulations on artificial intelligence was made under the banner of progress, but history will tell if it was, in fact, humanity’s greatest mistake. The same man who proclaims the need to break free from the endless cycles in Gaza—invoking lessons from the past—now flings open the doors to the vice of unchecked innovation. Enthusiasm cannot surpass prudence, and progress cannot override moral reflection. This time, we know the risk, and the mistake may be irreversible.
If the 20th century taught us anything, it was that the absence of regulation at the height of innovation can be as destructive as ignorance itself. The expansion of social networks, promoted under the flag of freedom of expression and connectivity, catapulted us into an era of digital manipulation, privacy invasion, political polarization, and mental health crises. Biotechnology, with its promise of miraculous cures, introduced unavoidable ethical dilemmas, such as genetic editing without consensus, forcing us to confront a future where the very definition of humanity is called into question. Each of these advancements was greeted with wonder and promises of a better world, but history proved that without safeguards, the side effects can outweigh the benefits.
Artificial intelligence represents a new paradigm, distinct from any other technological advancement. Its nature is not merely to transform productive processes or boost economic efficiency; it alters the very foundations of human power, eroding the boundary between what is of our own making and what is the manifestation of an intelligence that no longer belongs to us—it surpasses us. The danger of deregulating AI lies not only in mass unemployment, the extinction of professions, or the acceleration of social inequality. These effects, as devastating as they are, are surface symptoms of a deeper threat: the dissolution of human control over its own destiny. Every civilizational leap has come with a price that we only understand too late, but in no other case has the bill loomed so high.
The true danger of artificial intelligence lies not in its hypothetical hostility, but in its indifference. When advanced models begin to make autonomous decisions, whether in the economy, justice, defense, or governance, we cease to be the dominant force. If algorithms manipulate public information, the concept of free will becomes an illusion. Then there’s the militarization: major powers are already racing towards autonomous warfare systems, unleashing weapons that do not obey ethical codes, but rather optimization and efficiency logics. The outcomes will be calculated by entities that cannot distinguish victory from annihilation.
If there is something tempting about the idea of unrestrained progress, history has already taught us to be wary of its seduction. The belief that regulation stifles innovation is a naive argument when applied to a technology capable of reshaping reality itself. Unrestricted progress is not progress; it is a leap into the dark, a voluntary surrender to chaos. Trump believes that by removing restrictions on artificial intelligence, he is unleashing the genie of American innovation. But in doing so, he also breaks Pandora’s seal. Furthermore, he wants allies to follow suit. Without a global control framework, without clear ethical principles and brakes to protect us from our own enthusiasm, we risk witnessing humanity’s greatest tragedy.
*Executive Director of PLATAFORMA
