Robin Rombach, CEO of German AI startup Black Forest Labs, urges Europe to focus on AI’s opportunities, warning it risks falling further behind the US and China in cutting-edge models. His call comes as safety concerns have intensified.
Rombach said frontier AI developers need to move quickly and require substantial capital and computing power. Zach Meyers of Brussels-based think tank CERRE said access to capital is the biggest barrier to AI growth and innovation in Europe. He said many firms rely on bank financing, which is more cautious than venture capital about backing businesses that may take years to become profitable.
Rombach said some of Black Forest Labs’ open-weight models can be downloaded by researchers and developers, and argued that this approach increases transparency and safety. He opposed control of AI by a few companies, saying it would make oversight harder. He identified human failings as the greatest danger and said “stupidity” could wipe out humanity.
