Dear researchers, policy makers, EU citizens, Big Tech lobbies are trying to water down the AI Act that is *due to be finalised in a week's time, on 6 December.* An alliance of Germany and France, under pressure from Big Tech and European companies like Aleph Alpha and Mistral, are now trying to exempt foundational models from regulation in a toothless self-regulatory framework. *Foundational AI models are high-risk models and need to be regulated BEFORE they enter our society. It is unacceptable that citizens are being treated as guinea pigs while the private sector is exempt from accountability - but making billions.* Big Tech platforms have continuously pressured EU bodies and national governments to undermine the AI Act. Act now and put pressure on the EU AI regulation to be a regulation worthy of its name. *Sign and share the petition and speak out wherever you can!* https://www.foundation-models.eu Want to know more? Read how Big Tech is trying to influence AI regulation and our governments: https://corporateeurope.org/en/2023/11/big-tech-lobbying-derailing-ai-act https://corporateeurope.org/en/2023/02/lobbying-ghost-machine Best Jascha Bareis -- Signatur *Jascha Bareis* (Profile) <https://www.itas.kit.edu/english/staff_bareis_jascha.php>(Scholar) <https://scholar.google.com/citations?user=bf1gf9AAAAAJ&hl=de&oi=ao>(LinkedIn) <https://www.linkedin.com/in/jascha-bareis-36082523b/> Institute for Technology Assessment and Systems Analysis (ITAS) <https://www.itas.kit.edu/english/index.php> Karlsruher Institute of Technology (KIT) <https://www.kit.edu/english/index.php> Research Group Digital Technology and Societal Change (FG DigIT) <https://www.itas.kit.edu/english/rg_digit.php> *Recent Publications* Talking AI into Being: The Narratives of National AI Strategies and Their Performative Politics, with C. Katzenbach. Science, Technology, & Human Values <https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/01622439211030007> “Autonomous Weapons“ as a geopolitical signifier in a national power play: analyzing AI imaginaries in Chinese and US military policies, with T.C. Bächle. European Journal of Futures Research <https://eujournalfuturesresearch.springeropen.com/articles/10.1186/s40309-022-00202-w> * *