Christine Lagarde, President of the European Central Bank (ECB), said in a speech on Monday that Europe cannot afford to rely solely on American artificial intelligence technologies, the Bloomberg news agency reported.
Lagarde stressed that importing technology is not inherently problematic, but AI presents a special case: if the continent largely depends on foreign providers' infrastructure and models, it becomes strategically vulnerable. She singled out data access and data security as critical issues. Lagarde warned that if an AI provider withdraws access or changes terms of use, such a move could simultaneously affect many sectors and economic actors.
The ECB president added that this level of influence is unprecedented for any commercial partner in Europe and could be used as leverage in negotiations — for example on tariffs or digital taxes.
Need for more computing capacity and faster rollout
Lagarde argued that Europe must significantly expand its computing capacity. Newly built "gigafactories" are a good starting point, but they are currently far from sufficient, so the continent needs to scale up construction at a much faster pace.
She also said companies should be able to decide on AI adoption without persistent worries about the security of their data.
AI as a driver for deeper capital markets and European coordination
Lagarde said AI development could become a flagship project for deepening European capital markets: the scale of investment AI requires can only be provided by markets, making the issue both a technological and financial priority for Europe.
Her comments reflect a growing European consensus. Joachim Nagel, President of Deutsche Bundesbank, last week described AI as a litmus test of whether Europe can exploit its collective potential. On Monday, a coalition of prominent European economists, politicians and AI experts — including Philippe Aghion and Margrethe Vestager — warned that without decisive action Europe risks becoming irreversibly dependent on certain foreign governments and private actors.
Why this matters
Lagarde's message has economic and strategic implications: data security, access and computing capacity affect competitiveness, economic sovereignty and negotiating power. The emphasis is on accelerating investments and mobilizing capital market solutions so Europe can reduce external dependence and strengthen its domestic AI capabilities.
An AI assistant contributed to the preparation of this article; the final content was edited and verified by our journalist.
