The Digital Humanism Initiative urges regulation of digital technologies by the EU in the light of latest threats.
We, the signatories of this letter, believe that the European Union (EU) must stand up to the overt threats to its digital regulatory framework which has been and continues to be constructed in order to safeguard its humanistic and democratic values.
These threats emanate from an unprecedented confluence of immense political and economic power and the EU regulations may well constitute one of the last lines of defence against these threats worldwide.
The EU regulatory tools comprising, most recently, the Digital Services Act (DSA), the Digital Markets Act (DMA) and the Artificial Intelligence Act (AI Act) do not constitute censorship or attacks on any particular company or nation as powerful disinformation purveyors claim. They have been designed to protect information and election integrity, protect from monopolistic power abuses and show that there are ways to harness the benefits of technology for all while mitigating its potential harms.
We, the signatories of this letter, therefore, propose that:
The provisions of the DSA and DMA should be fully enforced and that the completion of the AI Act towards its full implementation in 2026 should proceed forcefully. This will help maintain trust that the EU will effectively regulate emerging technologies when and as needed in the future.
The EU should continue working multilaterally to set common standards and regulatory policies in AI and digital technologies in general, with other national and international organizations as broadly as possible. The recent adoption of the Brazil AI Act provides a first glimpse of an “adapt and adopt” Brussels Effect globally.
The currently under discussion proposals for greater EU integration and investment (Letta and Draghi reports) should be adopted and substantially implemented as a prerequisite to the EU’s digital sovereignty. This becomes particularly crucial in the context of current developments in AI technologies.
We, the signatories of this letter, pledge to work with like minded concerned citizens and national, as well as international organizations to support the EU in taking the strong and united stand that we propose. This pledge extends to all institutions and countries striving to defend and preserve shared humanistic and democratic values, and to ensure that digital technology advances are put to the best possible use for the well- being of humanity.
Sign the letter here : https://caiml.org/dighum/open-letter-on-the-urgent-need-to-regulate-digital-technologies/