Op-ed: AI governance rules are being written without you

Op-ed: AI governance rules are being written without you

https://iapp.org/news/a/op-ed-ai-governance-rules-are-being-written-without-you

Publish Date: 2026-03-18 13:20:00

Source Domain: iapp.org

• Pentagon’s Labeling of Anthropic: The Pentagon labeled Anthropic as a “supply chain risk” due to a contract dispute over the restrictions placed on its AI system’s military use, demonstrating how procurement can influence governance.

• AI System Usage in Military Operations: The reported use of Anthropic’s AI, Claude, in military operations against Iran and Venezuela, highlights how national security can override intended operational limitations set by developers.

• U.S. Diplomatic Stance on Foreign Data Sovereignty: The Department of State instructed diplomats to oppose foreign “data sovereignty” initiatives, aiming to frame cross-border data governance as a threat to American interests, thus influencing international data regulations.

• Algorithmic Governance Dependence: These events highlight a structural problem where AI adoption in the Global South occurs under governance principles set by U.S. procurement contracts and diplomatic policies, without local input, leading to algorithmic governance dependence.

• Implications for Procurement and Governance: The focus on procurement as a regulatory tool suggests it’s crucial for privacy and AI governance professionals to engage with procurement decisions to ensure transparency and accountability in governance structures.

• Need for Regional Coordination: There’s a call for regional coordination to address power asymmetries in AI governance, using projects like Latam-GPT to develop AI systems that reflect local contexts.

• Importance of Auditability: It’s essential that any security exceptions made in deploying AI systems in high-stakes contexts be documented and reviewable to maintain democratic oversight.

• Role of Civil Society: Civil society organizations must have sustainable funding and independence to monitor AI deployments and advocate for affected communities, ensuring broader participation in AI governance.