Hamilton Mann: Rethinking AI Governance as Constitutional Design

Hamilton Mann argues that one of the most urgent challenges posed by AI is the concentration of algorithmic power. He identifies three layers: capability, as a small number of companies develop powerful AI systems; distribution, as those systems reach millions of people; and, most consequentially, governance, where some algorithmic systems can increasingly shape decisions, allocate resources, and determine outcomes.

Conventional technology regulation is not enough, Hamilton says. AI governance should be a question of constitutional thinking – asking not simply what rules powerful systems should obey, but where their legitimacy comes from.

Hamilton is the author of a new book Trias Algorithmica: What Code Rules and Artificial Integrity, which was named a Thinkers50 Top 10 Best Management Book for 2025. He also received the 2025 Thinkers50 Digital Thinking Award, following his induction into the Thinkers50 Radar in 2024.

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