I was honored to be invited to speak at Transatlantic Day, organized by the Swedish American Chambers of Commerce (SACC‑USA). The audience — business leaders, policymakers and investors from both sides of the Atlantic — made it clear that transatlantic cooperation will be decisive as technology reshapes markets, societies and geopolitics.

My remarks focused on three interconnected themes. First, the centrality of EU regulation: rules are not a brake on innovation but the structural foundation for a predictable, fair and resilient digital future. Thoughtful regulation creates market trust, protects fundamental rights and gives businesses the guardrails they need to scale responsibly. Strong standards in areas such as data protection, AI governance and platform accountability can become competitive advantages for companies that design compliance and ethics into their products from day one.

Second, the AI revolution is best understood as a form of human evolution. Generative models, immersive interfaces and the emerging “immersive internet” will blend into everyday life — changing how we learn, work and relate. This is not just a technological shift but a societal one: we must prepare institutions, education systems and workplaces for new modes of interaction and new expectations about agency and autonomy.

Third, and perhaps most urgently, we discussed the risks when data becomes a lever of geopolitical power. Data flows and digital capabilities are now instruments in international competition: access to datasets, control over infrastructure and opaque algorithmic influence can be weaponized. This raises hard questions about sovereignty, collective defence and the need for interoperable norms across democracies. If left unchecked, asymmetries in data control and AI capabilities will translate directly into strategic advantage for some and vulnerability for others. And for the picture, that is how I look when I don´t agree...