At the RAISE Summit, held beneath the glass pyramid of the Louvre, Ajla Karajko, AI advisor and PhD candidate from Bosnia and Herzegovina, delivered a clear message: Europe no longer has time to hesitate. If it wants to remain relevant in a world where artificial intelligence is redefining everything—from business to geopolitics—it must immediately shift from a passive to an active role.

The Summit gathered over 5,000 participants, including ministers, AI company founders, investors, and researchers. Through more than 250 speeches, the discussion focused on today’s most pressing topics—from cybersecurity and regulation, to infrastructure, healthcare, financial applications, and the development of artificial general intelligence (AGI).

The key message of the Summit was not only about technical progress, but about the strategic positioning of Europe. At a time when American companies are closing access to technologies, and China is expanding global influence through open-source models, Europe must decide whether it wants to remain just a user of foreign solutions – or become the creator of its own.

Three questions stand out in particular as both key obstacles and levers of change: infrastructure, data, and organizational culture.

• Without building its own AI centers—so-called “AI factories”—Europe will remain technologically dependent.
• Without a clear framework for collecting, protecting, and using data, all AI models will remain vulnerable or inefficient.
• And without a shift in internal company culture—where fear, bureaucracy, and lack of knowledge still dominate—there will be no real transition, no matter how advanced the tools become.

Karajko also relayed a statement from Eric Schmidt, former CEO of Google, who warned that AGI could become a reality within the next three to five years, and that superintelligence (ASI)—which surpasses human cognitive capabilities—could follow in the next decade. His message was unequivocal: “The world is absolutely not ready.”

Europe must act now—by investing in infrastructure, adopting an ethical approach to data, and changing its mindset. Because the future will not wait for Europe to make up its mind.

You can read Ajla Karajko’s full RAISE Summit report here.