Centre for Future Generations

We’ve decided to pause our activity on X indefinitely. To keep in touch, make sure to: * subscribe to our email updates cfg.eu/subscribe/ * follow us on LinkedIn linkedin.com/company/centre… * follow us on YouTube @CFG_ThinkTank" target="_blank" rel="nofollow noopener">youtube.com/@CFG_ThinkTank See you there!

We’ve decided to pause our activity on X indefinitely. To keep in touch, make sure to: * subscribe to our email updates cfg.eu/subscribe/ * follow us on LinkedIn linkedin.com/company/centre…, *follow us on YouTube @CFG_ThinkTank" target="_blank" rel="nofollow noopener">youtube.com/@CFG_ThinkTank See you there!

At Think & Do 2025, CFG’s CEO @thomaslingard explained why Europe needs a new approach to technology and governance. CFG's mission is to help European policymakers anticipate technological change rather than simply respond to it.

Think & Do 2025 brought Europe’s policymakers, technologists, and thinkers together for a full day of conversations on how to shape the future of emerging tech. Link to our event recap post below:

Why isn’t Europe leading tech innovation? At Think & Do 2025, @anubradford argued that “overregulation” is the wrong answer, and laid out four forces holding innovation back. Link to the Think & Do wrap up article below:

What risks do neurotechnologies pose in the digital age? 🌐 Join Dr Virginia Mahieu from @CFG_ThinkTank at the Innovations Dialogue 2025 #ID25 to learn more. 📍24 November, Geneva and online 🔗 Register: unidir.org/ID25

That’s a wrap on #ThinkAndDo2025. Strange times call for collective thinking. Today’s mix of debates, workshops, and reflection felt like the right way to face them. Thank you to everyone who spoke, questioned, and listened. We look forward to meeting you all again soon!

@AnnSNielsen @leoquattrucci urged a focus on how Europe gets things done — hiring, funding, and institutions that can match the speed of change. @bertmangil warned that values aren’t slogans; they show up in how we organise work and coordinate action. #ThinkAndDo2025

@AnnSNielsen calls for economic realism: Europe should invest in what it’s good at and scale it's companies through interoperability and open markets. Sana Afouaiz reminded that inclusion drives innovation. Diverse teams design better products for everyone. #ThinkAndDo2025

Final plenary: Designing the Brussels Effect 2.0. How can Europe lead in tech not just by regulation, but by example? #ThinkAndDo2025

Need a break? Check out the quiet room with an art exhibition featuring work from Louis-Paul Caron. #ThinkAndDo2025

For CFG’s Climate Interventions team, the focus is on engaging and listening — building shared understanding before drawing lines. Today’s exchanges showed that trust, accountability, and access to knowledge will decide how the world handles these tools. #ThinkAndDo2025

The discussions surfaced familiar tensions: * open research vs. control, * precaution vs. preparedness, * trust vs. verification. Ideas drew from non-proliferation models, intl. law, and the challenge of governing tech moving faster than our institutions. #ThinkAndDo2025

In the workshop “Who gets to dim the sun?” by our Climate interventions team, participants explored different scenarios about how future decisions on solar radiation modification could unfold, and what preparedness really means for Europe. #ThinkAndDo2025

From a European perspective, readiness means more than access to models. It's about building fallback options, scientific niches, and agile governance that can move at the speed of the tech. Or as one participant put it: "get agile, or get left behind." #ThinkAndDo2025

From a transatlantic view, AI is no longer narrow or niche. Military alliances are planning for dual-use risks, adversarial applications, and the massive power demands of frontier systems, while trying to uphold democratic principles and interoperability. #ThinkAndDo2025

Next up: breakout sessions, starting with AGI and geopolitics. The sense is clear: AI is already reshaping defence and strategy. One question is around how Europe prepares for the next leap without fuelling an arms race. #ThinkAndDo2025

@robinwauters @mariafarrell Thomas Auger (opposition): Europe doesn’t need to trade values for growth. The energy transition shows sovereignty and competitiveness can reinforce each other. “Our model works when we build on our assets — single market, public procurement, and our values.” #ThinkAndDo2025

@robinwauters @mariafarrell pushes back: “We can be both.” We need to foster competition, not just competitiveness. More players across every tech layer means more resilience. “Sovereignty isn’t isolationism. It’s how we stay European in a digital world.” #ThinkAndDo2025

Now, on the the Oxford-style: “This house believes that Europe cannot be both sovereign and competitive on technology.” An Oxford-style clash moderated by Aaron Maniam — asking whether Europe must choose between its values and its edge. #ThinkAndDo2025