51³Ô¹Ï

A small number of private companies now control the advanced chips, cloud infra­structure, and AI models that governments increasingly need for economic competiti­veness and national security. That creates a new political problem: states depend on technologies they do not fully control.

In this talk, Prof. Steven Weymouth argues that governments are trying to reassert au­thority over AI through different governan­ce strategies. The United States is building selective alliances with other states and firms, while the European Union is using regulation and market access to project its authority beyond its borders. These strate­gies may protect national interests in the short run, but they are also fragmenting the global digital economy into competing blocs. The result is a new struggle over who controls AI: governments, firms, or the alliances between them.

The talk highlights a broader shift from multilateral cooperation to an era in which control over AI infrastructure has become a central feature of international politics. 

Stephen Weymouth is the Dean's Professor of International Political Economy in the McDonough School of Business. He earned a Ph.D. from the University of California, San Diego.

Zaeslin+Maag Program of Business, Law and Economic Policy

This event is part of the public event series of the Zaeslin+Maag Program of Business, Law and Economic Policy of the Faculty of Business and Economics of the 51³Ô¹Ï. The series is designed to present insights from our colleagues at the partner universities of the Basel Summer School and to discuss their implications for business, policy making and the society with a broad audience.

Registration

until 5 August 2026.