The latest edition of MIT Technology Review reports a White House split over Chinese artificial intelligence. On one side, advisers pushing for a hardline stance; on the other, those who fear isolating the US from a multi-billion dollar market. This isn't just political gossip from Washington. It has real consequences: when US tech giants align or clash with Beijing, the rules of the game change for everyone. Licenses, tariffs, technical standards.
Italian SMEs that use Chinese AI models (like DeepSeek or Alibaba's open-source models) or American ones (OpenAI, Anthropic) end up caught in a technology war they didn't choose. Anyone thinking neutrality is safe risks losing access to updated tools — or seeing their data and infrastructure held hostage by one of the two superpowers.
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Our position is clear: Europe must stop being a spectator.
AI is no longer a gadget you add for trend — it's infrastructure. And infrastructure controlled by rival geopolitical actors is an existential risk for serious digital businesses. We've learned this with cloud providers: relying on a single vendor is convenient until sanctions or trade policies cut you off. The same applies to AI. That's why we advocate for digital sovereignty — open models, European hosting, data managed by independent parties. Not for ideology, but for pragmatism. A business owner in Sciacca or Catania cannot afford to have their e-commerce go dark because a US-EU license change happens overnight.
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What to do, concretely? If you're a developer or entrepreneur in Italy, start mapping where your AI models run. Prefer European providers or, better, on-premise solutions where feasible. When integrating third-party APIs (ChatGPT, Claude, Gemini), include an exit clause in your contract. And if you're building a product based on AI, consider open-source European models (like Mistral) or self-hosted options. This is not just a technical choice — it's a business choice. Because in 2026, AI without independence is a cost you'll pay dearly eventually.
