Google’s President of Global Affairs, Kent Walker, has urged the EU to increase AI adoption through a smarter regulatory approach amid increasing competition, particularly from China.
Speaking at the Competitive Europe Summit in Brussels, Walker positioned AI as a tool that philosophers and economists call an “invention of a method of invention” which will reshape nearly every aspect of modern life and define the future of geopolitical leadership. The Google and Alphabet executive stressed that the stakes are incredibly high for the continent’s future prosperity and security.
While acknowledging European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen’s recent assertion that getting AI right is essential, Walker pointed to a concerning adoption deficit in the EU. He highlighted intense geopolitical competition and how government investment in China is fuelling integration of AI across its economy.
“The strategy is paying off,” Walker stated. “The latest estimates suggest up to 83% of Chinese companies are already using generative AI. Meanwhile, the European Commission estimates that European adoption is hovering at around 14%.”
According to Walker, this AI adoption lag is exacerbated by a regulatory environment that EU companies find increasingly difficult to navigate. He noted that since 2019, over one hundred new EU regulations have targeted the digital economy, leading to a situation where “more than 60% of Europe’s businesses now say regulation is their biggest obstacle to investment in the EU.”
This sentiment is backed by a recent Danish government study which estimated new regulations could impose an additional €124 billion in annual costs on businesses and public administration in Europe. Walker also pointed to the slow progress on implementing Mario Draghi’s recommendations on EU competitiveness, with only 11.2% of his ideas having been adopted a year on. Citing an International Monetary Fund study, he remarked on the fragmentation within the Single Market, where internal barriers create the equivalent of a 45% tariff on goods and a staggering 110% tariff on services.
In response to these challenges, the Google executive proposed a direct, three-part strategy for the EU to reclaim its AI footing: laying a foundation of smart policy, building out adoption through workforce skilling, and scaling up to support widespread innovation.
The foundational step, Walker argued, requires a simplification of the AI regulatory landscape to create a framework supportive of innovation like China, but while ensuring regulation that is focused, aligned, and balanced.
“Regulating in ways that support AI innovation means focusing on the real-world effects of AI,” he explained. This approach involves filling specific regulatory gaps rather than implementing sweeping rules that could stifle beneficial and lower-risk applications. He urged regulators to “oversee outputs, not inputs—to manage risks and consequences, not micromanage…
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