As China and US race ahead on AI, Europe opts for safe and steady

When King Charles III recently convened a summit on the dangers of artificial intelligence, his list of invitees had a notable omission. None of the headlining companies were headquartered in Europe.Charles’ gathering was only the latest example of concern about AI. This week, President Donald Trump is expected to discuss the issue with President Xi Jinping of China. Europe won’t be in that conversation, either.As U.S. and Chinese companies race headlong in the development of the so-called “frontier models” that push the boundaries of what AI can do, Europe is largely on the sidelines. This is significantly a result of the limitations of the European tech ecosystem, where companies find it almost impossible to reach the massive scale needed to develop frontier AI models. But it is also a matter of values. Europe mostly rejects the risks needed to be major players in the world of tech innovation, instead embracing a sense of caution and societal responsibility. The question now is not whether AI development here should slow down, but how it should speed up.“Since the earliest days of AI, the conversation was that we need to do this in a trustworthy way – not curtail innovation, but curtail risk,” says Nicole Lemke, an AI expert at interface, a tech policy think tank in Germany.But can pioneering AI happen without risk? “That is the question at the center of European policy discourse,” Dr. Lemke adds. “How can we find a European way on AI development?” Luca Bruno/APVisitors use virtual reality headsets at Europe's largest artificial intelligence event, AI Week 2026, in Rho, Italy, May 19, 2026. The importance of finding an answer is rising. While European economies remain stagnant, the AI boost has helped the U.S. economy grow at about 2%. Moreover, as the U.S. takes an increasingly hostile position toward Europe, leaders worry that relying solely on American companies for AI could present a critical security risk. “There is more and more discussion about how to be less dependent on U.S.-based models and big players,” says Jari Pirhonen, head of security at Vivicta, a Nordic technology company focusing on AI. “But there are not very many similar companies in Europe.”The obstacles to building that capacity are daunting. Europe is often derided for its aggressive approach to regulation. But tech leaders suggest a greater problem than that is the lack of big-money investors able to take a startup to the next level. Europe’s biggest AI success story, Britain’s DeepMind, was bought by Google in 2014.“People looking to go bigger go looking for that money in the U.S.,” says Cori Crider, executive director of the Future of Tech Institute in Brussels.Europe needs to decide how it wants to play catch-up, if at all.On one hand, leaving all AI development to the U.S. and China would leave Europe in a position of dangerous dependence. Encouraging more European investment in European AI firms like France’s Mistral could be one way forward. “This is what China did,” Ms. Crider says. “That’s how they got where they did.” Yet disruptive innovation has never been Europe’s strong suit. Europe’s superpower has long been incremental innovation – figuring out how to apply innovations to practical uses. Ursula von der Leyen, president of the European Commission, made this point in her recent State of the European Union address. “We do not need to be the ones who develop the frontier technology to be the ones who draw the greatest value from it,” she said.There are already signs that Europe is turning in this direction. “The AI market’s evolution from its initial, primary focus on foundational models to the development of highly tailored applications could play to Europe’s strengths,” said a report by McKinsey & Company consulting.European companies could carve out a competitive niche. Just as global consumers turn to German cars for their craftsmanship and quality, so European firms could develop AI applications that excel at European values like data protection and safety.The goal is a different kind of growth than in the United States, which carries the risk of being a speculative economic bubble waiting to burst.“I’d like to see growth in the real economy, not just inflation in the stock market,” says Ms. Crider of the Future of Tech Institute. Deepen your worldviewwith Monitor Highlights.Politics with respectGet political stories with respectful analysis.There‘s a world of new ideas in everyBooks newsletter.There‘s more to life, enrich yours withCulture & Learning weekly.Follow humanity‘s discoveries withScience & Nature stories in your inbox.Gain a spiritual perspectivefrom the stories in your inbox.Want to understand the deeper impact of critical events? Learn the Monitor‘s insight.Already a subscriber? Log in to hide ads. Ultimately, Europe’s focus on building strong institutions, even at the expense of economic growth, might prove a benefit, too. Most agree that AI is likely to cause significant disruption to economies and societies.“Institutions here are better at cushioning the effects on people and the planet,” says Dr. Lemke of interface. “We are really at the beginning of seeing the impact AI has on society.” ALREADY A SUBSCRIBER? LoginReal news can be honest, hopeful, credible, constructive.The Christian Science Monitor was founded in 1908 to lift the standard of journalism and uplift humanity. We aim to “speak the truth in love.” Our goal is not to tell you what to think, but to give you the essential knowledge and understanding to come to your own intelligent conclusions. Join us in this mission by subscribing.