The thinking that governments can or will “decelerate” technological development is truly delusional. Governments have always been keen to fund, develop, and use the most advanced available technologies, if nowhere else, then on battlefields. The EU is no different; the war in Ukraine is perhaps the most prominent example of an ongoing theater where AI is used routinely and with zero self-reflection.

The only question is: do we want civil society to stand a chance against the state?