Europe today faces a moment of truth — and artificial intelligence is bringing it sharply into focus.
The warning comes from Mario Draghi. It sounds like a sober observation, but it is in fact a call for urgent change. Speaking at the inauguration of the academic year at the Politecnico di Milano in December 2025, Draghi noted: “Last year the United States produced forty major foundation models, China fifteen, and the European Union only three. If we do not close this gap and deploy these technologies at scale, Europe risks a future of stagnation, with all its consequences.”
The pace of technological progress is relentless.
We are living through a profound digital revolution, and by the time we begin to adapt to new transformations, they are already being overtaken by the next wave of change. Allowing ourselves to be overwhelmed means accepting irrelevance and marginalization.
Standing still while global powers compete in a strategic chess match — each with its own strategies and moves to secure technological leadership, economic growth, and geopolitical influence — carries the same risk.
The numbers illustrate the scale of the challenge. The United States invests nearly $700 billion in innovation in a single year. China’s AI market alone is expected to reach $1.4 trillion by 2030. India is also entering the race with investments projected to reach $200 billion over the next two years.
And the European Union?
Europe continues to move cautiously. Resources are increasing, but they remain comparatively limited. Europe is late to the game.
In a period defined by shifting geopolitical balances — including the strategic direction set by the US administration in its current presidential term — this delay risks placing Europe in a position of subordination. It could ultimately exclude the continent from the benefits of technological progress and economic development.
The consequences would be incalculable.
Europe must therefore decide what role it intends to play in this transformation.
It must find its own path toward technological leadership, capable of engaging with the major global actors that are currently competing for spheres of influence in the digital economy.
This also means proposing a distinct European model — one grounded in democratic values, inclusiveness, transparency, and sustainability.
So far, the European Union has acted primarily as a regulator, often effectively.
But regulation alone is not enough.
To understand the limits of this approach, one only needs to look back to the early years of social media. At the time, many believed that technological innovation was inherently democratic. Social networks were seen as tools that would give voice to those who previously had none.
For a long time, these platforms were viewed simply as communication channels that should operate without constraints.
We now know that assumption was mistaken.
The illusion has faded as it became clear that enormous profits were being generated by a small number of actors through the use of data belonging to everyone. And with access to those data, these platforms have also gained the power to influence key processes of collective life.
Rules are therefore necessary.
But it is equally necessary to build technological environments grounded in democratic models.
As Luciano Floridi, director of the Digital Ethics Center at Yale University, has observed, humanity cannot create new habitats for itself that are already poisoned and only afterward ask whether they are suitable places to live.
Europe must therefore understand how to become a producer of technology, not merely a regulator of it.
This means pursuing a form of digital sovereignty — not by erecting walls or excluding others, but by investing in research, education, and infrastructure; by attracting talent; by competing in open markets; and by building strong international collaborations that strengthen the entire ecosystem.
Some initial steps have already been taken. They must now be supported with long-term vision by all European countries.
That includes Italy, which so far has not fully risen to the challenge. The national legislation dedicated to artificial intelligence remains fragmented and, in practice, financially neutral — meaning it lacks the resources needed to drive real technological development.
What is required now is courage, ambition, and strategic vision.
Europe must act as Europe — fostering the exchange of knowledge and talent while advancing a distinctive model that reflects and protects the continent’s democratic values.
Only in this way can Europe ensure that its technological future remains not only competitive, but also faithful to the principles that define it.
