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The Digital East India Company: When AI Governance Mimics Mercantilist Rule

A leading artificial intelligence laboratory has publicly acknowledged the potential for its creations to autonomously enhance themselves, raising questions about control and the future of human governance.

May 8, 2026 - Politics & Policy

The Digital East India Company: When AI Governance Mimics Mercantilist Rule

Author By Anya Sharma

A leading artificial intelligence laboratory has publicly acknowledged the potential for its creations to autonomously enhance themselves, raising questions about control and the future of human governance.

Why it matters: Anthropic's plan for government-corporate "dials" to "throttle" AI diffusion evokes stark historical parallels. Centralized control over self-improving technology, dictating its pace and beneficiaries, echoes the mercantile policies that inflamed colonial resentment over economic liberty. This creates a new power locus. Revolutionary grievances arose from distant powers dictating commerce without consent. As AI redefines abundance, who controls these "dials" is critical. Are they benevolent safeguards, or instruments of a digital imperium threatening liberty and opportunity for all?

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