Technique, Trust, and Transparency: A Critical Examination of the EU AI Act in the Age of the Technological Society

This thesis provides a critical examination of European AI regulation and the associated public attitudes, anchoring the discussion in the philosophical framework of French philosopher Jacques Ellul. The analysis assesses the EU AI Act's strengths and potential blind spots, contrasting the European Union's approach with those of the United States, China, and Russia. Furthermore, this study explores the tensions between ambitious regulatory goals and the realities of technological complexity, industry resistance, and enforcement limitations, which challenge the AI Act’s ambitious goal of creating a comprehensive, risk-based framework that can withstand the rise of General Purpose AI and the so-called "black box" models.