The Problem with AI Governance

Ava Cai

May 2, 2025

The development and evolution of artificial intelligence (AI) are now intertwined into the fabric of our everyday lives. For the past two years, AI has moved from being a technology as novelty item to being a public utility. That is to noting that the capabilities of AI no longer stop at voice assistants or web suggestion algorithms; instead, they now have material functions in making decisions that impact everything from criminal sentences and public benefits to border security and political campaigns. Even as the world of AI continues to advance, AI regulation is still uneven, untransparent, and, in many cases, alarmingly underdeveloped. 

As governments become more dependent on AI to streamline operations and process complex data, they are inevitably entering a new political terrain. Although such technologies promise efficiency, cost-cutting, and predictive power, they also spark debates through questions regarding the accountability and bias that may exist in these systems. For example, an inability to pinpoint responsibility goes against democratic values because public institutions are accountable to the people. Where AI systems are involved, decisions can become harder to trace and challenge. Sometimes, citizens are not informed when an algorithm has played a role in a government decision, which can easily lead to the undermining of trust from the public. 

Additionally, global reactions to the regulation of AI are also diverging. For example, the European Union has been relatively forceful with its new AI Act, which covers “high-risk” uses and introduces regulations on transparency and supervision of the technology. Policy debates in America remain ongoing, balancing innovation with the need for protection. Other countries like China have adopted AI as a tool of central power, integrating it deeply into surveillance and public administration systems. 

Apart from the controversy over-regulation, the politics of AI are necessary. AI systems reflect the values and assumptions of their creators. Thus, if left unchecked, they can perpetuate current inequalities and accumulate power among a few (governments and other big corporations). The governance of AI is not a technical issue—it is political. As these technologies become more deeply ingrained in public life, democratic accountability, ethical safeguards, and human-centric design become not only desirable but a dire necessity that needs to be addressed.