Digital trade and big tech: Can innovation and regulation be balanced?

Trade in services has long since surpassed trade in commodities. Much of this growth stems from digital trade, which carries large potential benefits for innovation, growth, and practical solutions to everyday problems. But the digital technology involved also presents challenges such as different governance approaches and security risks. The European Union aims to regulate digital technology with tools such as the AI Act and the Digital Market Act. The United States claims EU laws not only hamper innovation but also erect an unfair trade barrier. The Trump administration is putting pressure on the European Union to facilitate big tech companies.

But as big tech enters every citizen's life, questions about accountability and the impact of digital disruption on democracy arise. How can we find a balance between innovation and regulation, and what are the different strategies in Europe and the United States? As trade in commodities are subject to ever more tariffs, can the world come together and address obstacles in digital trade while finding ways towards better global regulation?

HOST

Cecilia Malmström
Nonresident Senior Fellow, Peterson Institute for International Economics (PIIE)

GUESTS

Emily Benson 
Head of Strategy, Minerva Technology Policy Advisors

Marietje Schaake
Nonresident Fellow, Cyber Policy Center, Stanford University; Fellow, Institute for Human-Centered Artificial Intelligence; Author of The Tech Coup