A Beginner's Guide to AI Europe Is Falling Behind in AI: Fabian Westerheide’s Wake-Up Call for 2026
Jan 19, 2026
Fabian Westerheide, founder of Rise of AI, shares his insights as an ecosystem builder passionate about European AI sovereignty. He discusses Europe's reliance on American tech and the urgent need for local infrastructure development. The conversation emphasizes the inefficiency of the research-to-startup transfer and the slow decision-making processes in governance. Fabian advocates for immediate action from entrepreneurs and highlights the potential of EU AI Act compliance as a competitive edge. He inspires listeners to embrace AI proactively and shift towards building a more autonomous future.
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From Meetups To A Curated AI Hub
- Fabian describes Rise of AI’s evolution from meetups to a curated 300-person conference over 10 years.
- He says the event shifted from explaining AI to focusing on how Europe can build and do AI right.
European Stack Depends On US Infrastructure
- Fabian argues the whole AI stack Europe uses is dominated by American GPUs and hyperscalers.
- He warns this dependency leaves Europe strategically vulnerable and unable to run state-of-the-art systems independently.
Optimism Within A Dystopian Frame
- Fabian frames the present as a dystopia but calls himself an optimist who brings doers together.
- Rise of AI gathers parliamentarians, entrepreneurs, and teenagers to collaborate on positive change.
