PARIS—U.S. Vice President JD Vance took a firm stand against European Union leaders on February 12, 2025, warning them that their relentless push to regulate artificial intelligence (AI) is nothing short of a power grab designed to control information, stifle innovation, and cement bureaucratic dominance over the digital age. Speaking at the Artificial Intelligence Action Summit, Vance delivered a blistering critique of Europe’s AI agenda, accusing Brussels of weaponizing regulation to limit free speech and economic competition under the guise of “ethics” and “safety.”
EU’s History of Information Suppression Repeats Itself
Vance’s warning comes at a critical time, as European governments scramble to impose sweeping AI laws eerily reminiscent of their censorship tactics during the COVID-19 pandemic. Just as the EU silenced dissenting voices on vaccine policies—labeling independent research and contrary opinions as “misinformation”—it is now attempting to choke AI’s potential by erecting suffocating legal barriers that would give bureaucrats the power to determine what information is allowed to circulate.
“The EU wants to lock down AI just as they locked down society during the pandemic,” Vance said. “They don’t trust their citizens with information. They never have. And this isn’t about safety; it’s about control.”
The Vice President lambasted European regulatory efforts such as the Digital Services Act and the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR), arguing that they disproportionately burden smaller tech firms while ensuring that only massive, government-aligned corporations have the resources to comply. This, he argued, creates a monopolistic AI ecosystem where only those who adhere to the EU’s ideological agenda can thrive.
AI Censorship: The New Battlefield
The EU’s latest push for AI regulations comes at a time when artificial intelligence is poised to revolutionize every sector, from journalism to medicine to national security. Yet, rather than embracing AI’s transformative potential, Europe is choosing to hobble its growth, all in the name of maintaining its crumbling bureaucratic grip over public discourse.
Vance made it clear that the United States will not allow American AI firms to be shackled by Europe’s regulatory overreach. “AI must remain free from ideological bias, and American AI will not be co-opted into a tool for authoritarian censorship,” he declared. He also pointedly warned against partnerships with regimes that exploit AI for surveillance and political suppression, taking a not-so-subtle jab at Europe’s growing willingness to collaborate with authoritarian nations under the pretense of “global cooperation.”
The divide between the U.S. and EU on AI governance was further highlighted by the summit’s conclusion, where Washington and London both refused to sign the final AI declaration endorsed by 60 other nations. While the EU framed the document as a commitment to “safe and ethical AI,” critics saw it as yet another attempt to impose European-style speech controls onto the broader global digital landscape.
Europe’s AI Strategy: Control or Progress?
For all of Brussels’ self-congratulatory talk about digital sovereignty, Europe’s record on innovation is abysmal. The continent that once led the world in technological advancement now finds itself playing catch-up, stifled by red tape and institutional inertia. Unlike the U.S., where AI development is driven by private-sector ingenuity and competition, Europe’s approach revolves around central planning and bureaucratic oversight—two surefire recipes for stagnation.
As Vance made clear, the battle over AI is about far more than technology. It is about the fundamental right of individuals to access and generate information free from government interference. The EU’s regulatory crusade is not about making AI “safe”—it is about making it submissive to an elite class that has already shown its willingness to manipulate public discourse to fit its own narrative.
Just as it did during the pandemic, the EU is once again proving that it would rather silence and control its citizens than trust them with knowledge. The question now is whether Europeans will finally wake up to the fact that their so-called leaders are not interested in protecting them, but in ruling them.
