Calls for AI regulations to protect jobs rise in Europe after ChatGPT’s arrival
Privately held companies have been left to develop AI technology at breakneck speed, giving rise to systems like Microsoft-backed OpenAI’s ChatGPT and Google’s Bard.
Lionel Bonaventure | AFP | Getty Images
A majority of Europeans want government restrictions on artificial intelligence to mitigate the impacts of the technology on job security, according to a major new study from Spain’s IE University.
The study shows that out of a sample of 3,000 Europeans, 68% want their governments to introduce rules to safeguard jobs from the rising level of automation being brought about by AI.
That number is up 18% from the amount of people who responded in the same way to a similar piece of research that IE University brought out in 2022. Last year, 58% of people responded to IE University’s study saying they think that AI should be regulated.
“The most common fear is the potential for job loss,” Ikhlaq Sidhu, dean of the IE School of SciTech at IE University
The report was produced by IE University’s Center for the Governance of Change, an applied-research institution that seeks to enhance the understanding, anticipation and managing of innovation.
Standing out from the rest of Europe, Estonia is the only country where this view decreased — by 23% — from last year. In Estonia, only 35% of the population wants their government to impose limits on AI.
Generally, though, the majority of people in Europe are favorable of governments regulating AI to stem the risk of job losses.
“Public sentiment has been increasing towards acceptance of regulation for AI, particularly due to the recent rollouts of generative AI products such as ChatGPT and others,” Sidhu said.
It comes as governments around the world are working on regulation for AI algorithms.
In the European Union, a piece of legislation known as the AI Act would introduce a risk-based approach to governing AI, applying different levels of risk to different applications of the technology.
Meanwhile, U.K. Prime Minister Rishi Sunak plans to hold an AI safety summit at Bletchley Park, the home of the codebreakers who cracked the code that helped end World War II, on Nov. 1 and Nov. 2.
Sunak, who faces a multitude of political challenges at home, has pitched Britain as the “geographical home” for AI safety regulation, touting the country’s heritage in science and technology.
Worryingly, most Europeans say they wouldn’t feel confident distinguishing between content that’s AI-generated and content that’s genuine, according to IE University, with only 27% of Europeans believing they’d be able to spot AI-generated fake content.
Older citizens in Europe expressed a higher degree of doubt about their ability to determine AI-generated and authentic content, with 52% saying they wouldn’t feel confident doing so.
Academics and regulators are concerned by the risks around AI coming up with synthetically-produced material that could jeopardize elections.
Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg wears the Meta Ray-Ban Display glasses, as he delivers a speech presenting the new line of smart glasses, during the Meta Connect event at the company’s headquarters in Menlo Park, California, U.S., Sept. 17, 2025.
Carlos Barria | Reuters
Meta is acquiring artificial intelligence wearable startup Limitless, the companies said Friday.
“We’re excited that Limitless will be joining Meta to help accelerate our work to build AI-enabled wearables,” a Meta spokesperson said in a statement.
Limitless makes a small, AI-powered pendant that can record conversations and generate summaries.
Limitless CEO Dan Siroker revealed the deal on Friday via a corporate blog post but did not disclose the financial terms.
“Meta recently announced a new vision to bring personal superintelligence to everyone and a key part of that vision is building incredible AI-enabled wearables,” Siroker said in the post and an accompanying video. “We share this vision and we’ll be joining Meta to help bring our shared vision to life.”
The world of AI wearables has been slowly growing this year, but no company has landed a standout product.
Meta’s Ray-Ban smartglasses, which have been a surprise hit, have a sprinkling of AI flavor with the inclusion of the company’s AI digital assistant.
There are several wearable devices available that are similar to Limitless.
Friend offers a pendant-style device, Plaud comes in a small card shape or pill that can be clipped on or worn around your neck or on your wrist, and Bee, which is worn on a wristband and was scooped up by Amazon in July.
Amazon also runs AI through its Alexa+ line of Echo Speakers, while Google‘s Pixel 10 phones have the Gemini assistant built in.
WATCH: Meta is visibly seeing a return on investment from AI.
CNBC’s Chris Eudaily contributed to this report.
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