Corporate power and AI law Mattei and Medvedev debate

Jun 24

In a complete moderated exchange, Ugo Mattei argues that Western rule-of-law decline reflects corporate control over politicians, campaign finance and information, and predicts deeper technology-driven changes. Medvedev replies that states stand behind major companies and that corporations should not become subjects of international law. He favors international legal rules for technology while doubting a global AI convention is presently achievable. Mattei agrees that no new international legal actors are needed but contrasts what he describes as Western private ownership and wealth concentration with state control and public purposes in China and Russia. He calls Trump a corporate proxy; Medvedev adds his account of restrictions on Russians registering for Truth Social. The central disagreement about corporate and state power and their shared reservations about new legal subjects remain visible. No convention, regulatory settlement or ownership change is announced.

Ugo Mattei attributes what he describes as a thirty-year decline of Western rule of law to corporate influence over politicians, campaign funding and information. He criticizes surveillance and friend–enemy political logic and argues technology will deepen changes in power. These are his allegations and interpretation, rather than a new factual finding that every Western government is controlled by corporations.