Google warns EU is trailing China on genAI adoption—urges ‘smarter’ rules, skills push, and scale-up

Google’s Kent Walker sounded an alarm in Brussels. He argued Europe is falling sharply behind China in generative AI adoption. AI News reported his case at the Competitive Europe Summit. The message was blunt and numbers led the way. Walker cited “latest estimates” on enterprise use. He contrasted up to 83% of Chinese companies using genAI with the European Commission’s ~14% figure for Europe. He linked the gap to rule complexity. He pointed to 100+ digital-economy regulations since 2019. He flagged business sentiment too. Surveys now show more than 60% of EU companies view regulation as the top obstacle to investment. He referenced Denmark’s estimate that new EU rules could add about €124B in annual costs. He also noted the slow uptake of Mario Draghi’s competitiveness recommendations. Separate reporting adds more context. The IMF has cited Europe’s market fragmentation as a structural drag. It can feel like a 45% tariff on goods and 110% on services across borders. That makes scaling digital products harder and costlier. Walker’s prescription had three parts. Simplify and align rules. Skill up the workforce. Scale what works with government support. He urged outcome-based regulation rather than input controls. He also tried to show commitment. Google cited about 30,000 employees in the EU. It operates seven data centers and 13 cloud regions there. It pitched sovereign-cloud options with partners like Thales and Schwarz Group as trust enablers. Europe’s path matters for Morocco. The EU is a critical market for Moroccan goods and services. It is also a regulatory trendsetter. Morocco’s AI choices will interact with European standards and demand patterns. The lesson is practical. Morocco can move faster by avoiding known bottlenecks. It can target skills, simplify rules, and scale proven use cases. It can do so without stifling innovation. Morocco’s AI momentum is real, and growing. The Digital Development Agency (ADD) supports the country’s digital transformation. Universities and industry are building applied AI capacity. Mohammed VI Polytechnic University (UM6P) plays a central role, alongside industrial leaders. Several Moroccan startups and innovators already show a path: - ATLAN Space uses AI to guide autonomous drones. Its systems support maritime monitoring and environmental protection. - Sowit applies AI and satellite analytics to agriculture. It helps farmers optimize inputs and yields across African fields. - OCP Maintenance Solutions deploys predictive maintenance. It uses analytics and AI to improve industrial uptime and safety. - A growing data and software community feeds the pipeline. Incubators like StartGate at UM6P and investor programs support early teams. Talent is expanding. The 1337 coding schools, part of the 42 network, produce software talent at scale. UM6P and partners add AI-focused programs and labs. Private bootcamps and online courses build practical skills fast. Real value already emerges in practical deployments. Industrial AI reduces downtime and energy use. Precision ag tools support water conservation and yield gains. Drones and vision models extend the reach of inspectors and rangers. Financial services and customer operations are advancing too. Banks and insurers use AI for risk, compliance, and service. Retailers and telecoms deploy chatbots and recommendation engines. These systems improve response times and personalization when well-governed. The opportunity set is broad for Morocco: - Agriculture and water: AI can guide irrigation, detect crop stress, and flag leaks. Models can forecast yields and optimize fertilizer use. - Energy: Demand forecasting and predictive maintenance can smooth grid operations. Solar and wind assets benefit from smarter scheduling and monitoring. - Logistics and ports: Routing, customs processing, and yard operations can be optimized. Computer vision can automate inspections and inventory counts. - Tourism and culture: AI can power travel planning, translation, and dynamic pricing. It can enrich museum and heritage experiences with smart guides. - Public services: Document processing, eligibility checks, and citizen chatbots can reduce backlogs. Bilingual models can help serve Arabic, French, and Amazigh users. - Healthcare: Triage support, scheduling, and imaging assist tools can ease capacity constraints. Safety and validation must lead here. Walker’s three-part agenda maps cleanly to Morocco’s next steps. Simplify and align rules: - Publish outcome-based AI guidance focused on use-case risk. Avoid prescriptive model inputs or burdensome checklists. - Create a single window for AI questions across ministries. Reduce uncertainty for startups and adopters. - Align with major partners on risk categories and testing practices. That eases exports and cross-border procurement. - Use iterative rulemaking and pilots. Update guidance as evidence accumulates. Skill up the workforce: - Expand public–private training for SMEs and public servants. Prioritize applied genAI, data governance, and MLOps. - Incentivize micro-credentials with industry assessment. Reward hands-on projects over theory alone. - Support bilingual and trilingual models. Morocco needs Arabic, French, and Amazigh capable systems for frontline work. - Build shared compute and sandboxes in universities. Let startups test safely on real datasets with privacy controls. Scale what works: - Use government procurement to create reference deployments. Start small, measure impact, and replicate. - Offer adoption vouchers for SMEs. Cover training, integration, and change management, not just licenses. - Stand up shared datasets with clear governance. Publish documentation and access criteria from day one. - Encourage trusted cloud patterns. Borrow from Europe’s sovereign-cloud models when sensitive workloads require localization or strict controls. Trust and infrastructure are essential. Europe’s pitch includes sovereign options with partners like Thales and Schwarz Group. Morocco can adapt the pattern through contractual controls, segmentation, and logging. Clear data-handling standards will unlock more public workloads. Capital and scale matter too. Early-stage programs help founders start, but growth needs deeper pockets. Co-investment vehicles can de-risk later rounds. Public procurement can provide the first big customer and credibility. Startups can move now with pragmatic steps: - Target measurable outcomes in priority sectors. Lead with ROI, not model novelty. - Build compliance by design. Document data lineage, evaluations, and model updates. - Localize for language and context. Add Arabic, French, and Amazigh support early. - Partner with universities and pilot sites. Secure data access ethically and safely. - Prepare for EU alignment. Map documentation and testing to common European expectations. Government can act in the next 100 days: - Create an AI Delivery Unit reporting to the center. Give it a mandate to unblock pilots. - Publish interim AI guidance for public procurement. Focus on safety, explainability, and human oversight. - Launch an SME genAI adoption program with training vouchers. Measure productivity and time-to-value. - Run a cross-ministry challenge for three high-impact AI pilots. Select health, water, and administrative services. - Release test datasets with privacy safeguards. Include baselines and evaluation scripts. - Issue a cloud policy note for sensitive workloads. Clarify residency, encryption, and audit expectations. Measure progress transparently. Track adoption rates, time-to-deploy, and realized savings. Share case studies and playbooks. Use feedback loops to refine guidance and training. Morocco does not need to choose between speed and safety. It can pursue both with outcome-based rules and disciplined pilots. It can grow talent while protecting citizens and institutions. That balance will attract investment and build trust. The Brussels debate offers a useful mirror. Heavy, fragmented rules slow adoption. Skills and scaled proof points accelerate it. Morocco can pick the faster path by focusing on outcomes and delivery. Key takeaways - Europe’s genAI adoption gap reflects rule complexity and fragmentation, Walker argued. - His agenda stresses simpler rules, skills, and scaling proven deployments. - Morocco can adapt these lessons to speed adoption without sacrificing trust. - Focus on bilingual talent, outcome-based guidance, and procurement-led pilots. - Build credibility with measured rollouts, transparent metrics, and secure cloud patterns.