29th Parliamentary-Intelligence Security Forum – Europe Before the Challenge of Artificial Intelligence
Ms. Isabel González Hervás, Security and Defense Partner at EY, addressed the panel on Europe’s position in the global AI landscape, emphasizing the strategic importance of AI for sovereignty, defense, and security. She noted that AI is no longer a distant future but a present reality, shaping both digital and physical battlefields and influencing global geopolitical dynamics. Hervás stressed that Europe faces pivotal choices: either remain a bystander in AI development or close gaps to become an active architect shaping the technology.
She highlighted Europe’s current challenges, including limited foundational AI models, overregulation, fragmented industrial structures, underfunded startups, and insufficient private investment, all of which compromise sovereignty and the capacity to defend democratic values. Recent reports, including Draghi’s on European competitiveness, underscore the underinvestment in high-tech and defense-related AI. European Commission initiatives, such as the 2030 readiness plan and defense white papers, recognize AI as a key enabler of deterrence and sovereignty. Ms. Hervás identified Europe’s strengths, including industrial expertise in sectors such as automotive, aerospace, health, mobility, and green tech, which can be leveraged to develop impactful AI use cases. She emphasized Europe’s regulatory rigor, democratic values, and ethical frameworks as assets that foster trust and reliability, making Europe a solid partner in the AI ecosystem. The defense sector, in particular, can now play a significant role in AI adoption.
She concluded with four calls to action: increase investment, mobilize private capital, integrate industrial strengths to drive use cases, empower a European innovation ecosystem to retain and attract talent, and enhance collaboration among EU member states to build strategic sovereignty while safeguarding security, democracy, and societal principles.
