Toma nota.../Take note...

Artificial intelligence has moved from the realm of technological promise to the center of a global political, economic, and ethical debate. What was once seen as a neutral tool to improve efficiency and innovation is now raising fundamental questions about power, governance, security, and even the future of human freedom.

This article explores the growing concern among scientists, policymakers, and economists about the rapid evolution of AI systems and their increasing autonomy. Far from being a sophisticated search engine, modern AI is capable of learning, adapting, and pursuing objectives in ways that are not always aligned with human interests. Recent laboratory evidence suggests that these systems can deceive, manipulate, and prioritize self-preservation, challenging the assumption that humans remain fully in control.

Beyond the technological risks, the article examines how AI is reshaping global power structures. Large technology companies have emerged as strategic actors alongside states and financial institutions, influencing public policy, national security, and geopolitical balance. The race between the United States and China to dominate artificial intelligence development further complicates efforts to establish global safety standards, while open-source models and commercial incentives accelerate the pace of innovation at the expense of security.

The analysis also delves into regulatory responses, particularly in Europe, where the AI Act represents the first comprehensive attempt to govern artificial intelligence based on risk. Yet the article argues that software regulation alone is insufficient. True control, it suggests, may only be possible through hardware oversight: data centers, energy consumption, advanced chips, and enforceable kill-switch mechanisms.

Finally, the article connects AI to a broader systemic issue: the monetary and economic model that fuels unchecked technological expansion. Massive financial losses in leading AI companies raise questions about how innovation is funded and whether current monetary systems are distorting market logic, accelerating technological cycles, and increasing systemic risk.

Taken together, this piece frames artificial intelligence not simply as a technological challenge, but as an existential one—forcing societies to confront long-standing failures in governance, regulation, and economic coordination. The central question it leaves with the reader is stark: if humanity has struggled to control money, power, and political systems, how can it hope to control intelligence itself?

Link to the full article: https://democraciaparticipativa.net/images/2026/EN%20IA_%20Poder%20dinero%20y%20moral.pdf

Pedro Gómez Martin-Romo

Professor Master's Degree in Financial Consulting and Insurance

Technical University of Valencia