The Future of Europe

For decades, we have been told that the future is made elsewhere – primarily in the United States – and that here in Europe, it simply happens to us. The forces shaping tomorrow seemed beyond our control: Silicon Valley, Wall Street, non EU governments, and dominant global stock markets such as NASDAQ.

Recent events have challenged that assumption. The actions of the current U.S. administration have created significant disruption and confusion across Europe and in Brussels, yet they have also forced us to confront a crucial truth: the future is not something that happens to us. It is something we choose. More precisely, it is the sum of the choices we make every day, here in Europe. And now it’s time to take charge of our Preferred Future.

In this era of hyper-exponential advances in AI and the resulting Intelligence Revolution, Europe has the unique opportunity – and the mandate – to become the moral center of The Good Future.  A Switzerland-like European federation is not the loss of sovereignty – it’s the Pooling of Sovereignty.

In parallel with the accelerating climate crisis and extreme geopolitical upheaval, we have now (July 2026) entered the Intelligence Revolution. Humanity is facing a tsunami of hyper-exponential and combinatorial technologies: robotics, quantum computing, nuclear fusion, synthetic biology, and geo-engineering (to name only a few). Together, these forces – all amplified by AI – could create unprecedented prosperity – or profound instability, and even cause our demise as a species, if left unchecked.  As I like to say, it could be heaven or it could be hell (the HellVen dilemma). The outcome depends not only on the technologies themselves (reminder: AI is no longer just a tool — it’s an agent) but how we use them, on the choices we make and the ability of our leaders to shape the future wisely.

The most important question is no longer what technology can do. The answer is increasingly: almost everything. By 2030, capabilities that seem extraordinary today may become commonplace (such as Super-Intelligence or AGI). The real question is what technology should do. What kind of future do we want, and how will we make sure our voice matters?

Europe’s Future in the Intelligence Age: the most important question is no longer what technology can do, but what we want it do

Technology can seemingly do almost anything that humans used to do, and science fiction is increasingly becoming science fact.  By 2030, many capabilities that seem extraordinary today may become commonplace (such as Super-Intelligence or AGI); already AI is no longer just a tool – it’s an Agent, a ‘digital entity’.

Now, the real question is what technology should do, and what we should NOT pursue, or forego for the time being. Not blind and money/power-driven techno-optimism but a new, progressive humanism.

European leaders must ask: What kind of future do we want, and how will we make sure our voice truly matters? Will we be dragged into a technocratic world that is optimized for machines and efficiency, focussed on profit, growth, and endless consumption? Or will we create a world centered on human (and planetary) flourishing, purpose, well-being, collaboration and shared prosperity? How will we prepare for the inevitable standoff between the U.S. – led technocratic and increasingly transhumanist world order, and the European humanist and social-capitalist worldview?

Europe faces its greatest test since the end of World War II. In a world increasingly dominated by geopolitical turbulence, power-plays and posturing, algorithmic ‘enshittification’ and omni-potent global technology empires, Europe can no longer afford to wait, follow, or drift. Europe must find its collective voice, define its purpose and direction, and act with courage and determination.

Our unique strength does not lie in being bigger, faster, richer or even happier than others. It lies in our ability to offer a distinctly human-centered vision of the future; one grounded in democracy, sustainability, ethics, and shared prosperity. A future built on the 5Ps: People, Planet, Purpose, Peace and Prosperity. 

This is a Fork-In-The-Road Moment!