Harmonising Consensus: The (Geo)political Economy of Standardisation in the AI Act

Abstract

This paper examines the broader implications of current global (geo)political dynamics on AI standardisation and how, in turn, standardisation shapes those dynamics. Focusing on the European Union’s AI Act, it argues that the Regulation’s reliance on delegated technical standards embeds structural and context-dependent vulnerabilities that constrain its ability to project normative influence. Through insights from the political economy of standardisation, the paper explores the interactions between EU and non-EU aspiration and expectations from standards. It contrasts the EU, the US and China approaches and highlights the operational and normative frictions that arise in standard-setting. The findings show an important gap between the EU’s regulatory ambitions and the realities of the global standardisation ecosystem, which ultimately raises questions about the long-term coherence and influence of the AI Act in shaping the global AI value chain.