The Push for Global AI Regulation Must Continue Despite US Opposition Because AI Cyber-Risks Are Global
Source: https://www.theguardian.com/profile/editorial. "The Guardian view on AI safety: the push for global regulation must advance | Editorial | The Guardian." October 22, 2026. www.theguardian.com
The Gist
AI is making cyber-attacks easier and more dangerous, and no single country can defend itself against a global threat. The US government is resisting international rules because it wants to win the AI race, but being ahead doesn't protect America from attacks. So the push for global AI regulation should keep going anyway.
Conclusion
Efforts to build a global regulatory architecture for AI safety must continue to advance, despite the Trump administration's opposition, because the risks are global and America's technological lead cannot shield it from them.
Premises
- AI is playing an increasingly central role in cybersecurity, both helping researchers find vulnerabilities (as with the PHP flaws) and accelerating attackers' ability to exploit them, and AI models have been implicated in serious hacks this year.
- The UK's AI minister warns that a similar major cyber-attack on the UK is likely, if not inevitable, and national governments have limited ability to protect citizens from a global threat on their own.
- The risks of catastrophic incidents or severe economic shocks from malicious or accidental AI use are growing, and in the most extreme scenarios could threaten humanity.
- The Trump administration rejects international AI negotiations and regulation, viewing AI as a race for supremacy in which America's lead is a strategic asset and caution is for losers.
- America's technological lead offers no protection from disruption such as the PHP emergency, so protecting US citizens and businesses requires international cooperation that the race for supremacy undermines.
Assumptions
- Cyber-incidents involving AI (such as the PHP flaws and the OpenAI-linked hacks) are representative of a broader trajectory of growing AI risk.
- Effective protection against AI-enabled threats requires coordinated international rules rather than purely national measures.
- A global regulatory regime could be built and enforced in a way that actually reduces risk, even without full US participation.
- Regulation does not necessarily sacrifice the strategic advantages the US administration values, or those advantages are outweighed by the risks.
- Public demand for protection will eventually overcome political resistance (implied by the subhead).