Week 5
Question 1 (~30 mins): The US implemented semiconductor export controls with the goals of limiting China's AI capabilities and maintaining global AI leadership.
Evaluate the effectiveness of AI export controls as a policy tool. In your answer, you may wish to consider:
The immediate impacts on global AI development and innovation
Whether export controls succeed in slowing competitors or push them toward technological independence
The long-term consequences for international cooperation on AI governance
Question 2 (~30 mins): Trying to achieve EU AI sovereignty could create tensions between positioning the EU against other major AI powers and empowering citizens against large tech companies. Examine how Europe can navigate the emerging technological bipolarity without becoming strategically dependent on either the US or China.
You might want to think about the questions:
What policy levers could Europe use to maintain strategic autonomy while avoiding isolation from critical AI technologies?
How can the EU balance its current approach to AI governance with the geopolitical realities of great power competition?
Should defence considerations play a role in European AI strategy?
