EU Digital Chief Warns AI Is Becoming a Geopolitical Weapon

Artificial intelligence is becoming strategic infrastructure alongside chips and cloud computing, giving governments and companies that control leading models leverage over other economies and cybersecurity systems. Henna Virkkunen, the European Commission’s executive vice-president for tech sovereignty, security and democracy, says that concentration poses a particular risk for Europe, which relies heavily on US providers. Brussels is therefore seeking stronger homegrown capacity in AI, semiconductors and cloud services without abandoning cooperation with allies.

Virkkunen warned on July 21 that AI was evolving into a “geopolitical weapon” because access can be restricted or remotely withdrawn. The immediate concern followed Washington’s June export controls on some of Anthropic’s most advanced models, imposed on national security grounds and later lifted after objections from foreign governments and Silicon Valley. EU leaders also raised long-term access with President Donald Trump at the June G7 summit, while the Commission is preparing support for European alternatives including Mistral, Scaleway and OVHcloud and a new investment mechanism with the European Investment Bank.