Google legend Schmidt recommends that Europe become independent in terms of infrastructure and technology. He warns against artificial intelligence, saying that it is not only a driver of economic innovation, but is also increasingly determining international power relations through its influence on security, political decisions and social orders.
The speeches that attract the most attention in the run-up to a summit are not always the ones with the greatest depth of content. At the World Economic Forum in Davos in January 2026, a significant proportion of media anticipation was also focused on the speech by the incumbent US President. The substance: rather sobering for most observers, the structure erratic, the truth content expandable. The speech by Eric Schmidt, the former CEO of Google, was much less loudly announced, but much more analytically productive. His remarks were not aimed at short-term headlines, but at a strategic issue that is likely to occupy Europe in the long term: technological and digital sovereignty in the age of artificial intelligence.
A wake-up call from Davos
Schmidt formulated a clear wake-up call in Davos. In his view, Europe is at a crossroads. While the USA is relying heavily on proprietary AI models and industrial scaling and China is specifically developing open, partially freely available models, Europe has neither a coherent AI strategy nor sufficient infrastructure of its own. Without substantial investment in computing capacity, energy supply and open software ecosystems, there is a risk of structural dependence on foreign technology stacks. This dependence is not only economically problematic, but also has geopolitical and security policy consequences, as technological foundations are increasingly deciding who sets standards and defines the scope for action.
Open source as an opportunity - and a risk
A central element of Schmidt's argument is the role of open source. He sees open software and open AI models as a realistic opportunity for Europe to free itself from its purely consumer role and regain its ability to act. At the same time, he made it clear that open source alone is not enough. Without its own hardware, without sufficient energy and without industrial scaling, open software would also remain dependent on the infrastructures of other regions. Schmidt was particularly critical of the fact that, although Europe has excellent talent, this talent often works in ecosystems whose technological basis lies outside Europe.
AI and the end of enlightenment?
In terms of content, Schmidt's warnings from Davos coincide with arguments that he had already formulated years earlier together with Henry Kissinger and Daniel Huttenlocher. In the book "The Age of AI", the authors describe artificial intelligence as a technology that not only changes economic processes, but also influences fundamental principles of knowledge, decision-making and political order. The central thesis: societies that relinquish the development and control of this technology risk losing their ability for rational self-determination - in extreme cases with consequences that even threaten the legacy of the Enlightenment.
Schmidt's current call for Europe to have its own technological capacity to act largely coincides with this: those who permanently obtain AI models, data and infrastructure from external players are not only giving away economic value creation, but also leaving the interpretation of knowledge and reality to others. In view of the US President's speech at the WEF, this is a worrying idea.
Regulation is not enough
Schmidt gets to the heart of the matter in Davos: regulation alone does not create digital sovereignty. Instruments such as the GDPR or the AI Act set important guidelines that are increasingly being copied in other regions of the world. However, they are no substitute for having your own technical infrastructure. Accordingly, initiatives that specifically invest in key European technologies, for example via state-supported open source programs or sovereign technology funds, are gaining in importance. Nevertheless, the discussion about European cloud, data and identity infrastructures shows that the focus is increasingly shifting from pure legislation to concrete technical architectures.
AI - the new geopolitical power factor
Schmidt sees artificial intelligence as a strategic power resource, comparable to energy, raw materials or military strength. In several public statements and publications, he warns against viewing AI merely as a productivity tool for companies. In his view, states and economic blocs that control the most powerful models, the underlying data and the necessary computing infrastructure will gain structural advantages in areas such as military reconnaissance, cyber defense, economic control and political influence. This shift in the balance of power is gradual but steady: those who set standards and train AI systems will shape decision-making logic, information flows and the formation of social opinion in the long term. Schmidt sees this as a particular challenge for democracies because authoritarian systems can translate technological efficiency into political control more quickly. If the West - and Europe in particular - were to lag behind technologically, this would threaten liberal concepts of order in favor of power models that are much less based on transparency, individual freedom and rational decision-making.
What AI control means for companies
For companies, this development is no longer an abstract political debate. The question of where data is stored, processed and used for AI applications directly affects strategic issues such as compliance, security, resilience and entrepreneurial freedom of action. Dependencies on non-European platforms may seem efficient in the short term, and in many cases may even appear to be "without alternative" at first glance. In the long term, however, they harbor major, uncontrollable risks - be it through politically motivated shutdowns of services, uncontrolled data outflow or a lack of control over one's own critical processes.
Digital sovereignty starts with the IT infrastructure
Against this backdrop, genuine European data sovereignty does not begin at the level of large AI models, but much earlier: with the infrastructure on which digital applications are operated. Those who set up data, identities, security mechanisms and AI workloads on platforms that follow European legal frameworks, security requirements and transparency principles create a solid foundation for technological independence. Infrastructure platforms that consistently rely on European data centers, open standards and high compliance levels can help companies to gradually reduce their dependence on US or Asian tech stacks - without having to compromise on innovation and performance.
Conclusion: Today's strategic decisions will shape Europe's digital future
Schmidt's warning is not alarmism, but a wake-up call. Europe's technological future will not only be decided on the military battlefield or in political committees, but also in very concrete architectural and infrastructure decisions. Where companies decide today how and where they manage their data and operate their AI applications, the foundations are being laid for the European digital sovereignty of tomorrow.