EU leaders urged to ‘act now’ to stay AI competitive with US, China

EU leaders met in Dublin for the bloc’s first artificial intelligence summit, where industry and political figures urged faster coordination and investment to help Europe compete with the United States and China. The debate matters because AI could reshape economies and public services, while raising risks that governments are still trying to address.

Mistral chief executive Arthur Mensch said Europe has the talent and technology to lead, but needs speed, financing and coordination among member states. European Parliament President Roberta Metsola rejected the idea that Europe had already lost the race, while EU foreign affairs chief Kaja Kallas highlighted AI’s military risks; Estonia and Finland also called for EU arrangements to respond to serious AI incidents.