Maria Ressa Urges Immediate AI Regulation to Protect Democracy

Nobel laureate Maria Ressa emphasizes the urgent need for regulating artificial intelligence to preserve public safety and democracy. Highlighting the influence of AI across its three waves—social media, intimacy through chatbots, and agentic AI—Ressa calls for international collaboration to hold tech companies accountable and curb manipulation.

In a compelling call to action, Nobel Peace Prize laureate Maria Ressa stresses the necessity of regulating artificial intelligence to safeguard public safety and democracy. Speaking at a conference in Oslo, Ressa outlined the critical role citizens play in urging politicians to legislate AI restrictions.

Ressa detailed three waves of AI impact: initially capturing societal attention via social media, then hacking intimacy with chatbots, and now threatening personal agency through sophisticated AI models. She argues that if unregulated, AI could spiral beyond our control, affecting global democracies.

Critics like former U.S. President Donald Trump may oppose regulation due to geopolitical competition, but Ressa counters that places like China have implemented more AI user protections. She lauds actions such as EU-imposed social media limits and advocates creating autonomous platforms like Rappler Communities to foster safer digital spaces.