What if Big Tech's AI lead doesn't matter?
At KickstartAI, Roel Willems challenged the dominant AI narrative: Europe isn't behind, we're playing a different game. He made the case for specificity over generality and outlined three traps blocking real AI innovation.
Friday January 23, 2026
09:30 - 12:30, Hortus Botanicus, Amsterdam
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Talk Description:
We're told Europe is years behind. That foundation models are winner-take-all. That if you're not deploying agents, you're already obsolete. What if none of that is true for your organization?
In this talk Roel reframed the AI landscape for everyone who doesn’t have hyperscaler budgets but do have real problems to solve.
He made the case for specificity over generality, exposed the simple math that makes fully autonomous agents not the magic solution for everything, and outlined three key concepts to pivot AI governance to unlock, not block innovation.