For years, the story was simple: Europe missed the AI revolution, and its top talent was streaming to Silicon Valley.
Now the tide is turning. In the last year, we have seen not only the promise of AI, but also the risks. Whereas Silicon Valley prioritises speed and China emphasises control, the EU offers a third, more attractive, path: innovation, guided by democratic values that work for society, not just shareholders.
My research reflects this divide: While tech hiring nearly plateaued in Silicon Valley last year, EU recruitment has accelerated. It has also become more international. Today, 37% of the EU's AI workforce comes from abroad. Ireland's AI sector, for instance, draws 28% of its talent from India alone.
The timing couldn't be better for European industry in this sector. The bloc already serves as a primary training ground for AI talent. Researchers are drawn to its universities, and with new proposals like the EU Talent Pool simplifying and streamlining immigration procedures, the EU is finally addressing its historic challenge of retaining expertise.
The recent wave of investments announced at the AI Action Summit in Paris this week includes €150 billion in private capital for the EU AI Champions programme as well as the complementary InvestAI initiative, which adds €50 billion in funding. Together, it is poised to create the world's largest public-private partnership.
This, alongside a recent expansion of European AI industry, signals that the EU isn't just for training AI talent anymore; it's becoming a destination where that talent can thrive. The announcement of initiatives like the AI Gigafactories supports the ambition of bringing the “best and the brightest minds in the world to work together.”
Investments come with a significant policy statement. A coalition of 12 countries, including France, the UK and Canada, have called for gender parity to be a central focus in AI development and governance. Their statement references a concerning statistic I uncovered in my recent research: only 22% of AI professionals are women. The gender gap risks perpetuating bias in AI systems.
Historically, the US has stood out as the primary destination for AI talent from Europe. Yet President Donald Trump's opposition to immigration and campaign against diversity efforts have created uncertainty for international talent going there. Christine Lagarde, the president of the European Central Bank, has suggested that the EU could “import” disillusioned talent from Trump’s America. This appeal may be particularly strong for women in tech.
As the EU positions itself at the intersection of innovation and responsibility, it is reshaping global tech talent flows by offering something uniquely valuable: a vision of technological progress that doesn't compromise core societal values. For AI researchers, engineers and entrepreneurs seeking to build transformative technology while upholding democratic norms, the EU isn't just another option. It's increasingly becoming the obvious choice.