As New Zealand (among others) has discovered in the past decade, influencing the behaviour of these companies is easier said than done. It has repeatedly found itself struggling to effectively manage big tech’s impact on its society and economy.

Our members are worried about New Zealand’s ability to implement regulations designed to protect consumers when it comes to the influence of the mega digital platforms. Here are some thoughts and examples of other countries efforts in this space.

The Australian Government this week published some proposed mandatory guardrails for high-risk AI as well as a voluntary safety standard for organisations using AI that will act as a temporary stopgap.

Historically, fines have not been the sole method of enforcing antitrust laws as they do not demonstrate long-term impacts. This is especially true for a multi-trillion-dollar organisation such as Google.

when we looked at submissions from tech and social media companies on the proposed framework, we found companies such as Facebook, Reddit and X (formerly Twitter) were broadly supportive of regulations – within certain limits.

Many countries – including New Zealand – will be keenly watching how the application of the AI Act unfolds and how its principles might be used or adapted elsewhere.