European AI Talent Gap: Why Europe Must Develop Its Own Experts to Stay Ahead

Founders' Takes: Why Europe Needs AI Employees to Stay Ahead In a recent interview for the Founders' takes series, Lucas Spreiter, founder of German startup Venta AI, emphasized the importance of developing European AI employees to remain competitive in the global market. According to Spreiter, the transition from human labor to AI labor is inevitable, and businesses will soon employ AI as real colleagues handling critical workflows end-to-end. The breakthrough came with OpenAI's ChatGPT in 2022, which proved that knowledge work could be automated at scale: research, writing, coding, analysis – all suddenly possible by software instead of people. The emergence of AI agents takes these capabilities even further, raising questions about whose employees we will be hiring in the future. "If Europe doesn't catch up with the US and China and build its own AI employees," Spreiter warned, "we could end up outsourcing a major chunk of our economic value creation – or as we Germans call it, Wertschöpfung: the very core of how we produce wealth." This sentiment is echoed by experts who believe that Europe must invest in developing its own AI workforce to remain competitive. The concept of AI employees may seem futuristic, but it's already becoming a reality. Companies are starting to integrate AI agents into their workflows, automating tasks and freeing up human resources for more strategic work. However, this shift also raises concerns about job displacement and the need for workers to adapt to new roles. Spreiter emphasized that developing European AI employees is not just about keeping pace with global competitors but also about creating a sustainable future for businesses and industries. "We need to invest in education and training programs that focus on AI development, deployment, and maintenance," he said. "This will enable us to create high-quality jobs and stimulate economic growth." The current state of AI is characterized by rapid advancements in areas such as natural language processing, computer vision, and machine learning. The emergence of AI agents has taken these capabilities even further, enabling businesses to automate complex tasks and workflows. As the demand for AI employees continues to grow, Europe must take a proactive approach to developing its own AI workforce. This requires investment in education and training programs, as well as policies that support the development of AI talent. In conclusion, the transition from human labor to AI labor is inevitable, and Europe must invest in developing its own AI employees to remain competitive. By doing so, we can create a sustainable future for businesses and industries while stimulating economic growth. Attribution: Lucas Spreiter, founder of Venta AI OpenAI's ChatGPT Additional Resources: State of AI report 2022 European Commission's AI strategy World Economic Forum's Future of Jobs Report *Reporting by Thenextweb.*