Brussels Can’t Fix AI Adoption Without Fixing Its Regulations, Says Center for Data Innovation
October 8, 2025
LONDON—In response to the European Commission releasing the Apply AI Strategy, the Center for Data Innovation released the following statement from Director Daniel Castro:
EU policymakers are ignoring the elephant in the room: Europe lags in AI adoption not because of a lack of talent or ambition, but because of its stifling regulatory climate—starting with the AI Act itself. Businesses across Europe fear that using AI will land them in regulatory crosshairs, so many are choosing to sit on the sidelines.
The EU is right to worry about slow AI deployment, but it’s missing the real problem. Without fixing the policies that discourage innovation, it will simply waste money chasing adoption targets that can’t be met. Investing in skills and promoting AI use is important, but those efforts won’t overcome a system designed to punish risk-taking. And by insisting on “buying European,” the EU is ensuring it won’t be using the best AI tools the world has to offer.
Contact: Nicole Hinojosa, [email protected]
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The Information Technology and Innovation Foundation (ITIF) is an independent, nonprofit, nonpartisan research and educational institute focusing on the intersection of technological innovation and public policy. Recognized by its peers in the think tank community as the global center of excellence for science and technology policy, ITIF’s mission is to formulate and promote policy solutions that accelerate innovation and boost productivity to spur growth, opportunity, and progress.
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