Europe risks being a “passive observer” in the global artificial intelligence race, lagging behind the massive AI model training in the U.S. and China’s strategic industrial policy focus. However, Dr. Jörg Herbers, CEO of Aachen-based INFORM Gmbh, argues it is “high time we take a different path”. Europe, particularly Germany, is “ideally placed to pursue an independent, competitive AI strategy”, leveraging its industrial foundation, research, and operational use cases.
Herbers shared his insights during the AI week in Aachen, Germany. He underlined that “AI made in Europe” must not be a defensive slogan for regulation or ethical differentiation. Instead, it should represent technological self-assertion.
“The goal is not taming technology or AI criticism but making AI productive and building AI competence. This means translating Europe’s economic strength, industrial DNA, and logistical excellence into scalable, market-ready AI systems built in Europe, for Europe, and the global market,” he explained.
Supply chain knowledge greatest EU asset
Herbers highlighted that the operational intelligence of the European industry does not lie in Californian data centres, but “on the shop floor, in complex supply chains, in multimodal hubs”. According to him, this is precisely where the proposed “AI made in Europe” should focus: not as a playground for generative text models, but as a tactical brain of process control and a decision-support system that translates operational complexity into manageable processes.
“Decisive steps are needed from politicians, industry, and companies. Businesses must bring operational AI to the ground – into factories, logistics hubs, and decision-making centres”, he emphasised.
The capacity to adapt, reconfigure, and redesign production or logistics processes is deeply rooted in Europe’s industrial mindset, SME structures, and education system. Places like Aachen, integrating science, industry, and practice, are seen as “epicentres of this movement”.
Despite this potential, Europe faces a “staggering” pace of innovation in China, where “execution trumps debate”. To avoid being left behind, Europe must “invest now in infrastructure, in talent, and in applications”. Relying solely on basic research or navigating regulations like the “AI Act” is insufficient, concluded Herbers.