
An EU-perspective on America’s Approach to AI with Marietje Schaake
From Scaling Laws by Lawfare & University of Texas Law School
May 1, 2026 · 45 min
About this episode
The episode discusses the implications of AI development on democracy with Marietje Schaake, focusing on the influence of tech giants and the need for urgent intervention.
In this episode of Scaling Laws, Kate Klonick, Associate Professor of Law at St. John’s University and a fellow at the Brookings Institution, and Kevin Frazier, Director of the AI Innovation and Law Program at the University of Texas School of Law and a senior fellow at the Abundance Institute, are joined by Marietje Schaake, the International Policy Director at Stanford University’s Cyber Policy Center and author of The Tech Coup: How to Save Democracy from Silicon Valley . A former Member of the European Parliament, Schaake has long been a leading architect of digital rights and tech governance. Their conversation explores the central thesis of her work: that a handful of tech giants have effectively staged a "coup" over democratic functions, from national security to the very infrastructure of public discourse. They examine the democratic implications of AI development, the "privatization of policy," and why Schaake believes that without urgent intervention, the "rule of law" is being replaced by the "rule of code." To get in touch with us, email scalinglaws@lawfaremedia.org. Logan Le-Jeffries, a member of the AI Wranglers student program at the University of Texas…
People in this episode
Hosts: Kate Klonick, Kevin Frazier
Guest: Marietje Schaake
Topics covered
- AI governance
- digital rights
- democracy
- tech giants
- privatization of policy
- rule of law
- rule of code
Keywords
- AI
- democracy
- digital rights
- tech governance
- Marietje Schaake
- rule of code
- national security
- public discourse
Mentioned in this episode
Organizations: Stanford University, Cyber Policy Center, St. John’s University, Brookings Institution, University of Texas School of Law, Abundance Institute
Books & works: The Tech Coup: How to Save Democracy from Silicon Valley
Places: European Parliament
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