Cohere CEO Aidan Gomez argues that Silicon Valley's market-dominant AI companies are attempting to define global safety standards and competition rules for generational technology to serve their own interests. He warns this mirrors historical cartels where safety pretexts protected incumbents and limited competition. Gomez cites the 1975 SEC designation of three bond rating firms that later rated subprime mortgages triple-A, and Europe's 1985 Motor Vehicle Block Exemption that gave car manufacturers control over service standards for 25 years. Both cases used safety justifications to create barriers protecting established players.

Gomez emphasizes AI needs guardrails but disputes who writes them. His company deploys AI in banks, telecommunications networks, and defense ministries where failures disrupt financial systems, critical infrastructure, and national security. He notes cyber offense is becoming cheaper faster than defenses improve. The core question is whether rules should be based on scientific evidence or handed to a few Silicon Valley executives. Gomez advocates for inclusive standard-setting that doesn't concentrate power in oligopolies.