- March 17, 2026
- ; 08:30
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- March 17, 2026
- ; 10:30
As artificial intelligence rapidly emerges as a foundational technology with far-reaching economic, security and geopolitical implications, key questions are coming into sharper focus: How can competitiveness be maintained? What does technological sovereignty mean in practice? And how should strategic dependencies be managed?
In response, Aspen Institute Germany launched the “Inside AI Briefings” series to examine how AI is being developed, governed, and deployed – and what this means for policy and strategy in Europe and beyond.
On March 17, 2026, Aspen Germany hosted the first of four briefings in cooperation with AWS. Policy makers, ministerial officials, and think tank experts gathered to hear insights from Antonia Hmaidi, Senior Analyst at the Mercator Institute for China Studies (MERICS), and Dr. Volker Stocker, Lead of the Research Group “Digital Economy, Internet Ecosystem, and Internet Policy” at the Weizenbaum Institute.
A central takeaway was that dependencies are not an exception but a structural feature of the global AI ecosystem. AI systems are deeply interconnected, and the pace of innovation makes strategic partnerships essential. Rather than striving for full technological independence – an unrealistic and economically inefficient goal – participants emphasized the importance of targeted cooperation, technological diversification, and open standards to sustain innovation and competition.
The discussion also highlighted that technological strength increasingly depends on the ability to collaborate strategically. This requires clear prioritization of areas where Europe can lead, selective partnerships where capabilities need to be strengthened, and active engagement in shaping global standards. In this context, digital sovereignty was understood not as independence, but as the capacity to act – to navigate interdependencies, leverage strengths, and influence the rules of the game.
For Germany and Europe, this translates into a pragmatic agenda: focusing on competitive advantages such as applications, data governance, trust, and security; strengthening partnerships with both global technology providers and European actors; investing in critical infrastructure and skills; and pursuing a geopolitical approach that balances cooperation with strategic positioning.
The discussion made clear that Germany and Europe have an opportunity to act as active shapers of this landscape – provided they combine strategic clarity with openness and a willingness to engage in global cooperation.
The next session in the series will turn to AI regulation and governance, with a focus on how Germany and the EU can foster innovation while safeguarding rights, ethics, and public trust.
