a16z co-founder: Support the establishment of trust and safety guardrails for the new era, oppose regulations that stifle AI innovation

Marc Andreessen, co-founder of the venture capital firm a16z, published an article outlining his stance on AI regulation by the U.S. government. He stated that if so-called regulation means creating complex rules by people who do not understand the technology, suppressing innovation through layers of approval and compliance requirements, and ultimately becoming a tool for large enterprises to consolidate market positions and hinder newcomers, then he will firmly oppose such regulation.

In his view, excessive regulation often leads to startups being crushed by cumbersome procedures and high compliance costs, causing innovative talent to flow to more open markets, while regulatory agencies themselves continue to expand, ultimately deviating from their original goals.

Andreessen specifically criticized the regulatory mindset centered on the "precautionary principle," arguing that if this concept is amplified indefinitely, it could lead society to reject new technologies out of fear of potential risks. Many regulatory measures often arrive late, after fundamental changes in technology and industry have already occurred, making it difficult to address real issues and potentially becoming obstacles to innovative development. He also attributed the relatively lagging state of technological innovation in Europe in recent years to a culture of excessive regulation, believing that regulation should not become a moat to protect vested interests and raise market entry barriers.

However, Andreessen emphasized that he does not oppose all forms of regulation. On the contrary, he supports rules that can build market trust, ensure public safety, and maintain fair competition. For example, preventing AI from faking voices to commit financial fraud, preventing deepfake content from interfering with elections, preventing technology from being used to harm vulnerable groups, and ensuring that consumers and businesses can safely use new technologies.

In his view, reasonable regulation is like guardrails on a highway and a braking system in a car; it does not hinder technological progress but rather allows innovation to develop in a faster and more sustainable manner. Andreessen stated that what is truly worth pursuing is not "zero regulation" or "heavy regulation," but finding a balance between innovative vitality and social trust, which is also his unwavering stance.

Previously, the U.S. government forcibly "recalled" commercial models due to jailbreak risks, leading Anthropic to take Fable 5 offline overnight and publicly protest.