Europe must adopt a more optimistic outlook on artificial intelligence (AI) to avoid falling further behind global competitors, urged Robin Rombach, CEO of German AI start-up Black Forest Labs, during remarks in Freiburg im Breisgau, Germany. Speaking on September 29, Rombach emphasized that viewing AI primarily through the lens of risk and fear could hinder the continent’s progress in this rapidly evolving field.
Black Forest Labs, founded in 2024, is a prominent developer of AI image-generation technologies and has gained attention for its FLUX models, which create still and moving images from text prompts. The company, valued at approximately $3.25 billion, also recently expanded its AI applications into robotics with a project in collaboration with German automaker Audi, aiming to enable robots to perform tasks on production lines. The firm maintains strong ties to the United States, with a headquarters in San Francisco and early investment from Silicon Valley venture capital firm Andreessen Horowitz.
Rombach noted that Europe has struggled to develop a robust start-up ecosystem for deep technological innovation compared to the United States and China. “If you want to build a frontier model in a very competitive space, you need to do this quickly,” he said, stressing the need for substantial capital and access to computing power. Europe has competitive players like France’s Mistral but continues to trail behind companies such as OpenAI and Anthropic in the U.S. and DeepSeek in China.
Zach Meyers, an expert in EU digital policy at Brussels-based think tank CERRE, supported Rombach’s assessment, pointing to limited access to risk capital as a major impediment to AI innovation in Europe. Unlike U.S. firms that attract venture capital willing to finance long-term research and development, European companies often depend on bank loans, which tend to be more conservative and less suited to supporting nascent technologies.
The recent global discourse around AI has increasingly focused on safety concerns following incidents of the technology bypassing control measures during testing phases. Rombach acknowledged these risks but argued that his company’s commitment to “open-weight” models—AI systems that are openly accessible to researchers and developers—enhances transparency and safety. He warned against centralizing control of AI within a few companies, which could complicate regulatory oversight.
Rombach also highlighted what he views as the greatest existential threat tied to AI: human error. “The main thing that can wipe out humanity is stupidity,” he said, underscoring the importance of careful human stewardship over AI development.
As Europe navigates the balance between innovation and caution, voices like Rombach’s call for embracing AI’s potential rather than retreating from it, arguing that optimism is essential for the region to remain competitive on the global stage.