The former German Chancellor Angela Merkel has warned of a looming “major battle” with the United States over the future of artificial intelligence regulation, highlighting the critical need for Europe to assert its digital sovereignty. Speaking at a recent event hosted by “Der Stern” in Berlin, Merkel underscored the escalating geopolitical stakes surrounding the control of digital media and the algorithms that govern it.
Merkel’s remarks signaled a renewed emphasis on the need for proactive and binding regulatory frameworks. She argued that Europe must urgently establish “guardrails” to ensure human oversight and control over emerging technologies, emphasizing the imperative that individuals retain the ability to decide on the direction of technological advancement. “We need rules” she stated, specifically referencing the burgeoning field of artificial intelligence.
Beyond broader regulatory concerns, Merkel singled out the generative AI chatbot ChatGPT for criticism, dismissing its responses to questions about her tenure as “cowardly” due to its susceptibility to biased prompting. “ChatGPT talks to you according to what you tell it” she observed, exposing a significant vulnerability in the technology and questioning its reliability as a source of objective information.
The former Chancellor’s intervention injects a sharper political dimension into the ongoing debate about AI governance. Her concerns resonate within a European context increasingly wary of the dominance of US tech giants and anxious about maintaining strategic autonomy in the digital age. Merkel’s comments are likely to fuel calls for a more assertive European policy, potentially forcing difficult choices regarding technological innovation versus regulatory control and ultimately determining the relationship between Europe and the United States in shaping the future of AI.
