The Rise of Artificial Intelligence Reopens the Global Debate on Employment, Ethics, and Political Control

In recent months, the rapid development of generative artificial intelligence systems has caused tensions among governments, labor unions, and technology companies worldwide. The recent approval of restrictive regulations in countries such as France, South Korea, and Canada has raised a key question: who should control artificial intelligence?

From Silicon Valley to Brussels, and from Beijing to Tel Aviv, decisions regarding the use of advanced algorithms—in security, education, healthcare, media, and electoral processes—are generating a new geopolitical polarization. Unlike previous technological revolutions, this one does not only affect the labor market: it directly impacts digital sovereignty, information manipulation, and the redefinition of what we understand as “human work.”

Civil rights organizations are warning about the opaque use of AI in mass surveillance systems, while Western think tanks caution against a “digital arms race” without clear regulations. At the same time, thousands of jobs in sectors such as journalism, programming, translation, and design have been eliminated or made precarious, sparking labor protests in different parts of the world.

China, for its part, announced this week an unprecedented strategic investment to integrate artificial intelligence at all levels of public administration by 2027. The United States responded with a joint initiative between the Pentagon and major private firms to lead a “Western ethical AI model,” although critical voices within the country question the transparency of this alliance.

Is a global ethical framework for governing artificial intelligence possible? Are we facing a tool for progress or a mechanism of silent control? At Laboratorio360, we will continue analyzing the structural impact of this technology, which not only transforms industries but also our individual and collective freedoms.