COPENHAGEN — On the final day of TechBBQ, the annual Nordic tech conference that wrapped up August 27, the conversation among founders, investors, and operators from across Europe kept returning to a single, pointed question: who actually controls the AI technology that European businesses are increasingly relying on? The theme of this year’s event, “Emerging from Agency,” turned out to be more than a slogan — it became the lens through which attendees examined everything from model access to data privacy.
The sovereignty question was especially timely given a specific incident earlier in 2026: Anthropic’s AI models Mythos and Fable became unavailable to users outside Europe. For many European startups, that was a wake-up call. One startup executive told me the disruption seriously affected his software team’s workflow; another shrugged it off, noting that while relying on two other geopolitical powers for AI might one day cause severe headaches, for now, things were still workable.
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A conference where AI was the subtext of nearly every panel
TechBBQ’s program spanned a wide range of topics — panels on the future of women’s health, a summit on Nordic-African innovation collaboration, and talks about funneling more growth capital into Europe. But AI was the underlying current in most conversations, whether onstage or over drinks.
“TechBBQ’s theme of agency felt particularly timely this year as the conversation shifted from what AI can do to what we’re actually willing to let it do,” said Ellen de Brever, an angel investor and head of partnerships at the Novo Nordisk Foundation Cellerator. She added, “The debates weren’t about smarter machines, but about human judgment and who gets to stay in the driver’s seat.”
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De Brever’s framing captured the mood of the conference. The most discussed question wasn’t about model performance or benchmarks — it was about ownership, control, and the long-term consequences of renting AI infrastructure from a handful of U.S. and Chinese companies.
Whittaker’s warning on AI and data collection
One of the most pointed sessions was a panel I moderated with Signal President Meredith Whittaker, focused on whether privacy and AI can coexist. Whittaker didn’t hold back, criticizing the integration of AI assistants and agents into operating systems — citing examples like ChatGPT’s integration with iMessage — as part of a broader “data collection apparatus.” She argued that AI labs are using clever marketing to make people forget “about the collateral consequences” of amassing so much data.
“There is still a huge market need for privacy,” Whittaker said. “And particularly with the sovereignty concerns, we will have customers here.”
Her comments resonated with many attendees who worry that the convenience of AI tools comes at the cost of user control over personal data — a concern that is especially acute in Europe, where GDPR and other regulations have set high standards for data protection.
Mostaque: ‘The person that controls the AI controls the country’
Another notable session featured Emad Mostaque, co-founder of Stability AI and Intelligent Internet, who joined me on a panel about how an agentic workforce will impact the economy and what that means for personal sovereignty. Mostaque offered a stark assessment: “Sovereignty is the ability to resist power being exerted over you.” He spoke about the concentration of power in the hands of a few AI labs and predicted, “Inevitably, every country will be run by AI and the person that controls the AI controls the country.”
His remarks sparked a strong reaction from the audience, including Mia Negru, advocacy and engagement director for the nonprofit Life With Artificials, who later messaged me: “If intelligent agents perform cognitive work and robots increasingly perform physical work, we may be approaching something much bigger than another technological revolution. We may have to rethink ownership, work, democracy, economic participation and eventually even who gets to participate in society.”
The gravity of those discussions carried into the evening events, where attendees let loose at rooftop barbecues hosted by Lovable, Nvidia, OpenAI, AWS Startups, and HSBC, and at cocktail gatherings like Ada Ventures’ event at the Bird bar. There, conversations shifted to lighter topics — Denmark’s growing tech hubs, innovations in women’s brain health, and the simple pleasure of face-to-face networking.
“In a room full of conversations about machines, the most memorable moments still come from the simplest thing,” de Brever said. “Human connection, face-to-face, building relationships, sharing ideas, and reminding each other of what technology can never quite replace.”
As TechBBQ closed, the takeaway was clear: Europe’s AI future isn’t just about building better models — it’s about deciding who gets to call the shots. And for many in the room, that decision can’t come soon enough.
Disclosure: This article discusses themes and opinions expressed at a conference, including forward-looking statements about AI control and sovereignty. These are not financial or investment advice, and the AI market remains volatile and uncertain.
