President Mattarella urges states to reclaim AI oversight from powerful private firms
President Sergio Mattarella told a gathering of jurists that governments must regain control over artificial intelligence, which is increasingly dominated by wealthy private companies.
During a meeting at the Quirinale, President Sergio Mattarella addressed a delegation from the World Jurist Association and the World Law Foundation, stressing the need for states to reclaim the authority they have ceded to private AI developers. He highlighted that while digital technologies and AI offer extraordinary opportunities, they must remain anchored in respect for human dignity, freedom, and fundamental rights.
Mattarella warned that corporations with immense financial and technological power act outside existing regulatory regimes and often ignore the public interest. He urged both national governments and supranational bodies to reassert their oversight role, arguing that the future should be placed in the hands of new generations rather than machines that could undermine human agency. The president also reminded the jurists that individual rights and core legal principles cannot be subordinated to political contingencies.
Why it matters
The call highlights growing concerns that unchecked private control of AI could threaten democratic oversight and fundamental rights.
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