Across industries, European CEOs are increasingly vocal about the promise—and pressure—of artificial intelligence. From boardroom memos to public panels, their language offers a real-time glimpse into how business leaders are thinking about transformation, regulation, and long-term strategy.
EBL News rounds up a selection of recent remarks from Europe’s most influential executives.
“AI is not a tool. It’s a platform shift.”
— Roland Busch, CEO of Siemens
In a recent interview, Busch emphasized Siemens’ transition toward AI-native software as a fundamental change, not a feature update. “We’re not layering AI onto our business. We’re rebuilding core industrial workflows around it.”
“We will not outsource Europe’s intelligence layer.”
— Tim Höttges, CEO of Deutsche Telekom
Höttges used a LinkedIn post to highlight the company’s launch of Teuton-7B, a multilingual LLM trained on EU data. “We have to think of language models the way we think about energy or defense—strategic infrastructure.”
“AI is forcing us to rethink value creation.”
— Jean-Pascal Tricoire, Chairman of Schneider Electric
In his final shareholder letter, Tricoire pointed to AI as a “grid-level disruptor” in energy management. “The question is no longer ‘if AI will help our operations’ but ‘how it redefines them.’”
“Regulation is not a blocker—it’s a design constraint.”
— Sabine Klauke, CTO of Airbus
Speaking at a tech symposium in Munich, Klauke called the EU AI Act “a competitive advantage for Europe—if we embrace it early and shape our systems accordingly.”
“If your AI can’t explain itself, it won’t fly here.”
— Ana Maiques, CEO of Neuroelectrics
On a podcast discussing medical AI, Maiques explained why explainability is critical for patient-facing applications: “In Europe, trust is not a feature. It’s a requirement.”
Closing Note
What’s notable is not just the optimism—it’s the strategic clarity. For European CEOs, AI is no longer a buzzword. It’s boardroom language, product architecture, and geopolitical stance—all rolled into one.
