Four takeaways from the International AI Summit 2025

The International AI Summit 2025 took place in Brussels on 11 December, drawing strong interest from across the public sector, private industry, and civil society. The Summit brought together more than 560 online delegates and 280 in-person participants, with 38 expert speakers contributing to six panel discussions. The diversity of voices ensured a broad and nuanced exchange, spanning regulation, innovation, geopolitics, and global cooperation. The scale of engagement reflected the growing urgency of AI governance and competitiveness debates in Europe and beyond.

Simplification takes the headlines

One of the defining themes of the Summit was regulatory simplification. Its timing closely coincided with the EU’s ongoing discussions on the Digital Omnibus, an initiative aimed at streamlining rules on data and artificial intelligence. While many stakeholders welcomed the intention to reduce complexity, several speakers cautioned that simplification must not come at the expense of legal clarity. In particular, uncertainty around implementation timelines was flagged as a risk that needs to be actively minimised. This tension between simplification and certainty set the tone for much of the debate, highlighting the fine balance the EU needs to strike as it adjusts its digital rulebook.

Ireland’s ambitions and the road to the EU Council Presidency

Niamh Smyth, Ireland’s Minister of State for Trade Promotion, Artificial Intelligence and Digital Transformation, delivered a particularly notable intervention. She underlined Ireland’s strong support for the Digital Omnibus and announced plans to establish a National AI Office, which will act as the central coordinating authority for the implementation of the AI Act in Ireland. With Ireland set to hold the Council of the EU Presidency next year, her remarks signalled an ambitious and proactive approach to AI policy. The message was clear: bold steps on artificial intelligence are likely to be a defining feature of Ireland’s presidency.

Competitiveness, sovereignty, and an open approach

Beyond simplification, discussions consistently returned to the broader question of EU competitiveness. Speakers emphasised that regulatory reform must be seen as part of a wider strategy to help European SMEs and start-ups scale faster and compete globally.

Concerns around Europe’s dependence on foreign infrastructure featured prominently. Many panellists stressed the need to build sovereign capabilities, particularly in critical digital infrastructure. At the same time, there was recognition that sovereignty should not mean isolation. Nikolaj Munch Andersen, Chief AI Expert at the Danish Ministry of Foreign Affairs, highlighted the strategic importance of AI engineers, describing them as key assets for Europe. His remarks echoed a recurring message from the Summit: talent policy is as important as technology policy, and Europe must do more to attract, retain, and support its AI workforce.

Global cooperation and the geopolitics of AI

Despite the strong focus on European competitiveness and sovereignty, the Summit also made clear that AI governance cannot be addressed in isolation. With speakers from international organisations and non-EU countries, global cooperation emerged as a central theme. Discussions touched on the interconnected nature of AI ecosystems, spanning energy, data, and semiconductor supply chains. Several speakers warned that new barriers could easily undermine global innovation if not carefully assessed.

The geopolitics of technology, particularly AI, formed the backdrop to many exchanges. The current landscape was described as highly fragmented: European talent, US-based infrastructure, financial investment from the Middle East, and open models emerging from China. This mixed picture illustrates both the opportunities and vulnerabilities inherent in today’s AI value chain.

Looking ahead, attention is already turning to the upcoming India AI Impact Summit. As Swadeep Singh from the IndiaAI Mission noted, the focus there will be on moving “from action to impact”, signalling a more implementation-driven phase of global AI discussions.

Key takeaway

The EU’s ambitious agenda on AI competitiveness and sovereignty is clearly catalysing intense debate among stakeholders, with implications that extend far beyond Europe. A central message from the Summit was that regulation alone is not enough. To succeed, Europe must pair its regulatory framework with sustained investment in skills, infrastructure, innovation and adoption capacity.

Crucially, these efforts need to be embedded within a cooperative global approach if a broadly accepted model of AI governance is to emerge. The future of AI will be shaped as much by collaboration and capability-building as by rules and compliance.