Donald Trump signed a new executive order on artificial intelligence, just two weeks after scrapping a previous one. The message is clear: the United States wants to sprint, no brakes. The promise is “to promote American AI”. No details, but a sharp direction: deregulation, maximum incentives, global competition.
Meanwhile, Europe is still fine-tuning the AI Act, with bureaucracy and compliance weighing like stones on small businesses. Two opposite models. On one side, a full-throttle accelerator; on the other, a cautious handbrake. For Italian SMEs, already struggling with basic digitalization and shaky broadband, this disconnect is a concrete threat.
Our position is clear: balance is needed, not shortcuts
We at Meteora Web come from accounting and balance sheets. We know exactly what it means to lose competitiveness because a competitor has better, faster tools. If US companies adopt low-cost AI to automate marketing, logistics, and customer service, our businesses risk falling behind on margins. The AI Act is noble in intention, but for an SME in Sciacca or Catania it becomes a maze of compliance, while a competitor in Texas uses open-source models without asking permission. The digital divide risks widening, not just between the US and the EU, but within Europe itself: the North runs, the South limps.
Italy needs a national strategy that goes beyond transposing regulations. We need tax incentives for AI adoption, widespread training, cloud infrastructure. Security matters, but paralysis is worse. We always say: a website is measured in revenue, not compliments. The same goes for an AI law: if it doesn't help businesses grow, it's a cost.
The reality is that Big Tech is already shaping the global AI market. We see it every day from Sicily: clients asking how to use ChatGPT to draft quotes, or how to automate product catalogs. The technology is there, but guidance is missing — an ecosystem that makes innovation a right for all, not a privilege of Northern Europe or Silicon Valley.
Trump's order is no surprise, but a wake-up call. Europe must decide whether to be a player or a spectator. And Italy, for once, must stop waiting and start building.
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