Hayekian Case Against AI Moratoria

Regulation proposals that treat AI alignment as a computable problem risk repeating the planner’s error Hayek warned about: elite-directed moratoria, kill‑switches, and nationalization institutionalize ignorance and create governance fragility rather than reliably preventing catastrophic AI outcomes. Framing the AI debate in Hayekian terms shifts the conversation from technocratic control to distributed, iterative institutional checks and the limits of central planning. — Recasting AI regulation as a Hayek vs. planner debate reframes policy options, mobilizes classical liberal audiences, and highlights the tradeoffs between centralized control and adaptive, decentralized governance.