I had a conversation this week with a CISO from a global company.
He told me that his biggest challenge right now isn’t the technology.
It’s the different “maps” he receives from different countries.
In Europe they tell him, “wait for the instructions.”
In the U.S. they say, “go ahead, we’ll figure it out along the way.”
And in China the path is already defined and tightly controlled.
Everyone is trying to reach the same destination, safe and responsible use of AI.
But each region is choosing a very different route.
The recent article about delays in Europe is simply a reminder of how complex it is to draw those maps.
But in the middle of all this, I hear another approach more and more often from CISOs.
Even when regulation is not fully defined yet, or the direction is still evolving, they choose not to wait.
Instead, they make a conscious decision to start addressing the risks now.
The insight
Behind the delays and regulations there are really three dominant philosophies, each with its own logic:
The European approach (protecting the individual)
The belief is that public trust is the key to long-term growth. That’s why the process takes time. The goal is to ensure that AI agents operating inside organizations do not violate privacy or fundamental rights.
The American approach (encouraging innovation)
The idea is that the best way to learn is by moving forward. The market leads, and risks are addressed as they become concrete, so innovation keeps its momentum.
The Chinese approach (stability and order)
The belief is that regulation should be clear and predefined to prevent chaos. Rules are established earlier and in a more structured way.
But for security teams there is another layer.
The shift toward Agentic AI, systems where AI agents can take actions across applications, APIs, and workflows, changes the rules for everyone.
This is where security becomes the common denominator.
Even when regulation is still evolving, many organizations already understand they need to secure these agents now.
The APIs they use.
The bots they operate.
The application layer they interact with.
There are already technologies that help with this, including solutions that protect applications, APIs, and automated traffic, like those developed at Radware. But the bigger point is the mindset.
Not waiting for the final regulation before starting to reduce risk.
Because once AI starts acting independently inside your systems, security is what allows it to operate safely instead of becoming a new attack surface.
The question
When you look at these three approaches,
protecting individuals, innovation speed, or predefined order,
and maybe even the fourth approach of preparing before regulation forces you to,