Banning Disruptive Technologies is Likely Unpopular and Ineffective: Evidence from the Ban of ChatGPT in Italy

The rapid diffusion of disruptive technologies is generating a revolutionary and tangible impact over individuals, organizations and society. However, this rapid pace of development is not matched by up-to-date regulations, which makes the relationship between institutional policies and technological advancements complex and controversial. Taking as a reference generative AI, this work studies how individuals respond to public interventions banning disruptive technologies, exploring the arguments and sentiment they express towards it. By analysing approximately 15,000 X contributions on the suspension of ChatGPT in Italy, our work provide evidence that banning disruptive technologies is likely ineffective and unpopular. This was highlighted by the strong prevalence of individuals expressing a negative perception on the ban, by the presence of users actively and collaboratively searching solutions to bypass it, and a perceived institutional backwardness in terms of technology development.