Opening Keynote -Global AI Race: Can Europe & Finland Catch Up?
Kristo Lehtonen — Director, International Programmes, Sitra
The AI revolution is moving fast, but is Europe—and closer to home, Finland—still in the mix? The US and Chinese digital giants lead with investments in AI. Perception is that Europe struggles with regulation, fragmented investments, and slower adoption. Who is winning and can Finland still carve out a competitive edge in AI innovation? What will it take to not just participate—but lead?
"The famous ice hockey player Wayne Gretzky once said that you should not look at where the puck is now, but where the puck is going next."
Summary
- The global AI race is a struggle for data dominance, with AI being the most crucial technology of our time. - Digitalization continues to evolve, with new areas like 3D objects and biology being transformed into digital data. - The geopolitical landscape is shifting, with US-China rivalry and different approaches to data regulation emerging. - Strategic autonomy in AI is vital, especially for preserving minor languages and ensuring open-source access. - The third generation of the web, Web 3, is emerging, challenging current tech giants and introducing new innovations like decentralized social media.
Article
Europe can still win the global AI race, says Finnish expert at Helsinki tech summit
Kristo Lehtonen offers optimistic vision for Europe's AI future despite US-China dominance
In a compelling opening keynote at the VERGE AI Frontier conference in Helsinki, Finnish AI specialist Kristo Lehtonen challenged the notion that Europe has already lost the global artificial intelligence race to the United States and China.
"My main message here is because some people claim that maybe we have lost the game to China and the US. We have not lost the game. The game is just being started," Lehtonen told the audience at the technology summit focused on creativity, security and collaboration in AI.
The presentation, titled "Global AI Race: Can Europe & Finland Catch Up?", offered a comprehensive analysis of the current state of AI development worldwide and outlined potential pathways for European competitiveness in this critical technological domain.
Data as the new oil
Lehtonen began by establishing the fundamental importance of data in the modern technological landscape. "Data is the most important raw material of our times and artificial intelligence is the most important technology of our times," he said, comparing AI's transformative potential to that of electricity a century ago.
He noted that Finland's historical adoption of electricity lagged behind other nations, with productivity gains only materialising after nearly three decades – a cautionary tale about the time required for societies and businesses to adapt to revolutionary technologies.
The ongoing process of digitalisation continues to expand, Lehtonen explained. From the early digitalisation of text to photos, music, and videos, we're now seeing 3D objects and biological systems being transformed into digital data, opening new frontiers in fields like healthcare and virtual reality.
The geopolitical AI landscape
A significant portion of Lehtonen's address focused on the geopolitical dimensions of AI development. He described how the international system is evolving within the framework of US-China rivalry, with distinctive approaches to data regulation emerging: the rights-driven EU model, the market-driven US approach, and the authoritarian models of China and Russia.
"The international system is crumbling," Lehtonen observed, pointing to weakening multilateralism and the rise of "strategic capitalism" where states take a more active role in providing economic security.
This shifting landscape has allowed digital giants to accumulate unprecedented market power – reminiscent of the industrial "trusts" of the early 1900s that ultimately led to modern competition law.
Finland's linguistic sovereignty in the AI era
One of the most compelling aspects of Lehtonen's speech addressed the crucial importance of preserving linguistic diversity in the development of AI systems. For smaller language communities like Finland, commercial viability often delays or limits language support from major tech companies.
"The limits of my language are the limits of my world," Lehtonen said, emphasising that strategic autonomy in AI must include language preservation. He highlighted how Citra, his organisation, had successfully trained a Finnish open-source large language model – demonstrating that smaller nations can develop sovereign AI capabilities.
The future belongs to domain-specific AI
Lehtonen challenged the narrative that Europe has missed its opportunity in AI development by highlighting the growing importance of domain-specific AI – specialised systems focused on particular industries like healthcare or legal services.
While training general-purpose AI systems like GPT-4 might cost hundreds of millions, domain-specific models are significantly more affordable, making them accessible to European entities. He noted that Finland's relatively modest 24% adoption rate of AI technologies stems primarily from a lack of expertise rather than access to technology.
Web 3.0: disrupting the disruptors
Looking to the future, Lehtonen discussed how Web 3.0 technologies – including decentralised autonomous organisations and smart contracts – are poised to challenge today's digital giants. He pointed to Finnish innovations like the Lens protocol as examples of how European developers are creating the foundations for more equitable digital platforms.
"At the peak of power, all dominance feels eternal. But it's always transient," Lehtonen concluded, borrowing from a Chinese proverb that "no tree can grow up to the heavens" to illustrate how today's technological leaders will inevitably be superseded.
The VERGE AI Frontier conference continues through April 15th in Helsinki, bringing together experts from across the global technology landscape to explore the creative, security and collaborative dimensions of artificial intelligence development.
Part of VERGE | The AI Frontier: Creativity, Security & Collaboration