Vance: ‘Authoritarian Censorship’ in EU Could Smother AI

Vice President JD Vance has reportedly warned Europeans against overregulation of artificial intelligence (AI).

Speaking Tuesday (Feb. 11) in Paris, Vance also dismissed AI content moderation as “authoritarian censorship,” and said the U.S. intended to remain at the top of the AI ladder.

“We believe that excessive regulation of the AI sector could kill a transformative industry,” said Vance, whose comments were reported by Reuters.

“We feel very strongly that AI must remain free from ideological bias and that American AI will not be co-opted into a tool for authoritarian censorship.”

Vance added that dealing with Europe’s online privacy rules — the General Data Protection Regulation, or GDPR — meant ongoing compliance costs for smaller companies.

The Reuters report notes that the tech world has been closely watching to see if the Trump administration would roll back the antitrust enforcement against a number of tech giants.

The vice president told his audience that the U.S. would back American AI firms, but that the country’s “laws will keep Big Tech, little tech, and all other developers on a level playing field.”

Vance also said the world needs to be skeptical of incumbents calling for safety regulations that could help cement their status in the industry.

Soon after Trump took office last month, he reversed predecessor Joe Biden’s AI executive order from 2023. That order would have required the federal government to vet the advanced AI models of major developers like OpenAI, Google and Amazon. It also established chief AI officers in major federal agencies and outlined frameworks addressing ethical and security risks.

“Trump’s reversal marks a significant policy shift that is lighter on regulations and guardrails and more pro-growth and pro-innovation,” PYMNTS wrote last month.

“However, it is unclear how his repeal of Biden’s executive order will be enacted on the grounds that federal agencies have already instituted such policies. Notably, Trump established the first executive order on AI during his first term in office.”

Vance’s comments came one week after British lawmakers issued a report saying that AI startups are at risk of leaving the U.K. due in part to regulatory complexity.

Nathalie Moreno, a partner specializing in AI at Kennedys law firm in London, said in an interview with PYMNTS that the report “underscores a growing gap between the U.K.’s ambition and execution in AI and tech policy.”

Moreno added that “fragmented government support, limited access to capital in the U.K., risk-averse investors, and regulatory uncertainty are driving startups abroad.”

For all PYMNTS AI coverage, subscribe to the daily AI Newsletter.