Jensen Huang warns Europe: act boldly on AI or miss the race for good

NVIDIA CEO Jensen Huang visited France, Sweden, the UK and Germany this week. He sent a clear message to European leaders: act boldly now, or Europe may never join the AI race.

Before NVIDIA's GTC conference opened in Berlin, Huang talked with German Chancellor Friedrich Merz. He said AI safety matters, but policymakers should regulate AI applications, just like internet products, instead of controlling the underlying technology. If the industry cannot thrive, there is nothing to regulate, and Germany needs to build its own AI industry.

Merz replied that Europe is trying to balance innovation and regulation. No regulation at all is not the answer, but rules that are too strict don't work either. Both also see AI as a possible way to lift Germany out of its economic slump. Huang gave a similar wake-up call in the UK a few days earlier.