Europe 2031: A scenario on AI policy failure and continental decline
By
Daan Juijn, Stan van Baarsen, Judith Dada, Lily Stelling, Philip Fox, Alex Petropoulos, Michiel Bakker
Baker's choice. Dense with flavour, light on filler.
Summary
A speculative five-year scenario (2026-2031) depicting Europe's decline into economic and political irrelevance due to failing to adopt an ambitious AI agenda. The narrative follows Caroline, a European official in Washington D.C. in 2031, as Europe loses its ability to shape its own future, defend its values, fund social welfare, and hold the Union together. A 2034 epilogue describes how the collapse could have been prevented, serving as a cautionary political analysis about AI policy inaction.
Key quotes
· 3 pulledUnless we embark on it now, Europe will lose the ability to shape its own future.
We will end up economically and politically sidelined, with values we cannot defend, social welfare systems we can no longer fund, risks we cannot address, and a Union that cannot hold.
The current trajectory of AI calls for the most ambitious political agenda in the history of post-war Europe.
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