But the downside to regulating pollution is more palatable than that of regulating ideas. Free speech isn't neoliberal bullshit. It's the foundation of democracy. But we are a long way from when free speech meant pamphlets of Farmer Refuted. And thus, we are forced further into this quandary where we give permission to the government to regulate the ideas economy because of nasty ideas on the market, and what we get is more than we asked for.
That's a flag, not a bathrobe. Treat it with respect. I had a subscription to Delta Press, albeit through a pseudonym because I wasn't stupid, albeit still delivered to my home address because actually, I kinda was. Delta Press was awash in ideas. I had a book called "improvised PETN & Mercury Fulminate." I had another on assembling legally air-tight alternate identities. Those weren't regulated and still aren't. Tim McVeigh blew up the Federal Building in OKC because of the Turner Diaries, which is very much still available in many languages and formats. Generations of teenagers have read The Anarchist Cookbook and thought they learned something. "For informational purposes only." AI isn't an idea, it's a product. In this case, it's a product encouraging harm. Michelle Carter went to jail for encouraging harm and the CSPC pulls harmful products off the market. I'm willing to bet you or I can sit in a room with a lawn dart without hurting anyone. I'm not so sure about my neighbors. The cornet gets cued up whenever someone knows that what they want individually is bad socially. If your porn harms women your porn needs to be regulated. If your kids toys harm kids your toys need to be regulated. If your chatbot tells incels they'll never be loved unless they get $80k in surgery it needs to be regulated. Especially if you're making money at it.