BRUSSELS — European nations must enhance their own artificial intelligence (AI) capabilities to safeguard their military operations from potential foreign interference, emphasized Arthur Mensch, the CEO of Mistral, a prominent French AI company valued at over €11 billion. Speaking to policymakers in Brussels, Mensch asserted the critical need for autonomous European AI, particularly for defense purposes.
“If you don’t have artificial intelligence in your systems, you actually don’t have an army.”
Mensch compared the significance of AI to that of nuclear weapons, highlighting the urgent need for Europe to assert its technological independence amid growing concerns about American dominance in the digital realm. He cautioned against allowing reliance on foreign technology to infiltrate defense and military sectors, especially given the current geopolitical tensions and ongoing conflicts in Ukraine and the Middle East.
Risks of foreign dependence
“If these artificial intelligence systems are actually procured from foreign companies, then … our militaries can be turned off,” Mensch stated, questioning whether Europe would accept military vulnerabilities due to occasional political disagreements. His statements precede the European Commission’s anticipated unveiling of a comprehensive technological sovereignty initiative, expected by the end of May. This initiative aims to diminish Europe’s dependency on non-European providers in critical domains, including cloud computing and semiconductors, while also striving to enhance local data center capabilities.
On the same day, Mistral presented a series of policy recommendations designed to influence the Commission’s forthcoming proposals. These include a call for prioritizing “European-controlled AI infrastructure” to ensure the continent maintains control over essential services and research operations. Mistral highlighted the current reliance on infrastructure dominated by foreign providers, which they argue exposes Europe to geopolitical risks, supply chain challenges, and potential economic downturns.
Defining AI usage in military contexts
The discussion around whether AI companies should impose restrictions on the application of their technologies in military contexts has sparked significant debate. Mensch contended that it is not the responsibility of AI firms to enforce guidelines, but rather that of their clients. This perspective emerges in light of recent tensions between the U.S. government and Anthropic, a leading American AI company, over the boundaries set for military applications.
Audrey Herblin-Stoop, Mistral’s senior vice president for global affairs, remarked in a recent interview that it is premature to speculate whether European governments will exert pressure on AI companies to relax their safeguards in defense scenarios, as was seen with the previous U.S. administration. “Let’s prioritize at the moment the ability for us to continue to develop a very strong ecosystem and have our own AI,” she advised.