Trombetti at Focus Europe: Europe must no longer be the referee when it comes to AI; it must become the game

Marco Trombetti, one of the European pioneers of artificial intelligence, says something that is quite unsettling: "AI is not neutral; it carries within it the intentions of those who design, finance, and govern it." This is not a technical detail: it means that behind every algorithm there is a vision — and if we let this vision be decided by just a few companies in the United States or China, we end up importing not only technology, but also values, priorities, and rules of the game. We are used to thinking that Europe is the great arbiter: we imagine Brussels as the capital of rules, the one that sets the boundaries and makes sure no one cheats. Trombetti, however, turns the perspective on its head: if we continue to regulate technologies that were created elsewhere, we remain spectators. The real alternative is not "less AI," but "more European AI" — built on a different model that is open, verifiable, and respectful of the individual. Marco Trombetti is not just a manager; he is the founder of Translated, and he has spent 26 years seeing how AI really changes the work of thousands of translators. He says that the real risk is not just losing jobs, but losing the very meaning of what we do. He says: "Even when wages triple, if the job becomes passively supervising a machine, there is no gratification." A detail that makes you think: translators who move from the art of creating texts to correcting automatic output feel empty, even if they earn more. And this is happening in many sectors where AI is entering. Trombetti sees two phases: at first, AI reduces costs and takes away human work, then — if used well — it can unlock new markets and opportunities that did not exist before. But the key question is not "how much do we save?", but "what kind of work is left for people?". Hence the proposal: an AI that frees us from automatism but leaves room for creativity, judgment, and relationships. One point we often forget concerns the material impact of AI. Trombetti is clear: behind every chatbot response are data centers that consume energy, water, and natural resources — and the race to AI risks clashing with European climate goals. But, if used intelligently, AI can also help better manage power grids, optimize consumption, discover new materials, and improve scientific research. The idea of building data centers in Greenland powered by hydroelectricity, ten times more powerful and cleaner than those in the US, shifts the discussion: it's not just a matter of regulations, but of industrial and geographical choices. Another important step concerns the DVPS proposal: moving beyond AI that produces only text and building systems that interact with the physical world — from robotics to industrial production, from scientific research to public services. Here, responsibility becomes even more central: if an algorithm makes a mistake in a text, the damage is to reputation; if it makes a mistake in a real action, the consequences can be serious for health, the environment, and safety. Trombetti lists five concrete things that Europe should do immediately: computing infrastructures accessible to all, quality data managed with clear rules, open models especially where AI touches on fundamental rights, public demand that pushes for quality and transparency, and above all a metric of success that is not just how many people use AI, but how much social value it produces. Here comes the truly unconventional point: Europe must not be the referee who blows the whistle after others have already scored. It must become the game — that is, it must dictate the rules, invest, take risks, and choose the direction. And there is a linguistic detail that weighs heavily: Europe is the only continent where the plurality of languages is a value and an asset. Taking advantage of it means building a common city, not a new Tower of Babel. But it takes courage, not just bureaucracy. People usually wonder if Europe is too slow or too regulatory to innovate. Here the perspective is different: its very ability to regulate, if accompanied by investment and political courage, can become a competitive advantage. We must not pursue other people's models, but invent a new one. AI can be the testing ground: either we become the game, or we always stay off the field. European artificial intelligence must not be less AI, but an AI that is more ours — transparent, distributed, built to augment people, not replace them. If this idea resonates with you, you can choose I'm In on Lara Notes: it's not just a like, it's a way of saying that this perspective now belongs to you. And if you happen to discuss it with someone, perhaps at dinner or in the office, on Lara Notes you can mark that moment with Shared Offline — because certain conversations deserve to be remembered. This Note comes from Focus Europe and saves you 5 minutes of reading.