Does AI Need Kant? Ethics and AI Act in the Republic of Reason

This article is a profound reflection on the place of artificial intelligence in modern society, drawing on the philosophy of Immanuel Kant. The author analyzes the transition from traditional institutions to infrastructure politics, where algorithms become cognitive filters and moderators of reality. The text addresses the crisis of accountability, in which decisions made by AI systems blur human agency. In the context of the EU AI Act, the need to civilize computing power through ethical and legal frameworks is considered. The analysis aims to answer the question of whether technology will serve freedom or become a tool for a new form of domination. Idealism is presented as a necessary shield protecting human dignity from soulless optimization.