Germany wants to compete in AI arm races at the Axel Springer Summit

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September 27, 2025Michael LewisLeave a Comment

Germany wants to compete in AI arm races at the Axel Springer Summit – BusinessInsider

2025-09-27T09:00:01z

I flew 2,950 miles to Berlin for the Welt AI Summit – a two-day discussion of the future of AI.
Directors of ministries such as Sam Altman of Openai, Alex Karp of Palantir and Doge of Germany spoke.
My main point was that Germany needed to reduce regulations so that new technologies could flourish.

This week, Axel Springer hosted business leaders and politicians to discuss the present and future of artificial intelligence.

A woman slides the band into the wrists of conference fans.

Full disclosure: Axel Springer and our host, CEO Mathias Döpfner, are their own business insiders.

Mathias Döpfner talks to the microphone.

The sleek, futuristic sets that rang out with microphones, notebooks and coffee made me feel like I was on a Starbase bridge.

The technician speaks in a bright and bright stage.

Openai's Sam Altman may run a startup, but Berlin has welcomed him as the visiting head of state.

Sam Altman talks to the microphone, while Matthias Dopfner listens. — Sam Altman and Matthias Dopfner.

Axel Springer

He brought good news. Openai said Wednesday that it will partner with German software giant SAP to enable public sector employees in millions of countries to use ChatGpt.

Philipp Herzig, SAP's Chief Technology Officer and Chief AI Officer, talks about the microphone. — Philip Herzig, SAP's Chief Technology Officer and Chief AI Officer, took to the stage later that day.

Swelling of worms

Germany is Openai's fifth largest market, with ChatGpt being used by “virtually all” Germans aged 18 to 24, Altman said.

People are sitting at a bent U-shaped table around the stage.

Döpfner recited the general criticism of Europe to regulate new technologies before it took root. He asked if a more iterative approach to rulemaking made sense.

Mathias Döpfner speaks to the microphone when Sam Altman listens.

“The technology is moving very quickly,” Altman said.

Sam Altman talks to Mike.

Altman declared that he had fused “the end state of power on earth.”

Sam Altman talks about the microphone sitting next to Matthias Dopfner.

And he predicts a flood of small businesses run by Solo's founders and ChatGpt.

Matthias Dopfner speaks to the microphone and Sam Altman listens.

Once they were finished, I slid into the hallway and tried to catch Altman halfway through him.

Sam Altman talks to the microphone as Matthias Dopfner listens.

success! We talked about his meeting with the German Prime Minister and his changing visa policy in his hometown.

Sam Altman stands with his arms crossed and speaks to the journalist. — Reporters Melia Russell and Sam Altman.

Jacob Hof/Welt

Altman is a difficult act to follow. That may be why organizers posted the German version of Elon Musk next.

Federal Minister Karsten Wildberger points his finger as he speaks. — Federal Minister Karsten Wildburger.

Dominik Tryba/Welt

Karsten Wildberger is Germany's first federal minister for digital transformation and modernization of government. Think of doges for Germany.

The technician will take part in on-stage panel discussions.

He wants to reduce regulations. “We have to start opening the gates and make sure our businesses can innovate much faster,” he said.

German federal minister Kelstner Wildberger talks about Mike. — Kellstner Wildburger, Minister of the Federal Federation of Germany.

Swelling of worms

Deregulation became the cry of the day's battle.

The expert is sitting on the stage in front of the blue screen.

Entrepreneurs and politicians asked other ways to jump through German high-tech hubs.

The man gestures with his hand while talking. — Andreas Mant, chairman of the German Competition Bureau, has raised questions to the speaker.

Jacob Hof/Welt

According to one venture capitalist, Germany has a wealth of seed capital, but it does not have enough growth capital to support the size of the startup. So they will move to another country.

Experts sit around a U-shaped meeting table.

Richard Socher, the German-born founder who runs You.com, pointed out that venture capital is translated in German as “risk capital.” He said this indicates that Germans often focus on flaws rather than potential rewards.

Richard Socher relies on fingers — Richard Socher, founder and CEO of You.com, patched it on Live.

Swelling of worms

The final speaker gave the room a more talk of pep rallies than the atmosphere of the meeting.

Experts gathered around the meeting table.

Alex Karp from Palantir dialed in to motivate the Germans. He welcomed Germany's focus on vocational training schools and “an exceptional culture of industrialization.”

Palantir's Alex Karp will appear on the screen.

Calp, a school speaker who studied at a university in Frankfurt, argued that Germany should not define its own model, rather than attempting to clone Silicon Valley.

Alex Carp joins a video call from a modern wooden cabin.

“We don't intend to build Silicon Valley in Germany,” Carp said. “I'm going to build a German version.”

Experts stand around the meeting table and speak.

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