At TechBBQ in Copenhagen, the conversation among investors, founders and operators from across Europe wasn’t just about what to build with AI, but who should control it. No matter where you were during the annual Nordic conference, from the stage to the cocktail hours and after-parties, the chatter kept coming back to how Europe can gain more control over the technology powering AI.
The incident with Anthropic’s AI models, Mythos and Fable, becoming unavailable to users outside Europe earlier this year, led many in the European ecosystem to think seriously about what it means to own the models and the infrastructure underpinning this AI wave, instead of renting that power from the US and China. 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.
Ellen de Brever, an angel investor and head of partnerships at the Novo Nordisk Foundation Cellerator, told me that the debates weren’t about smarter machines, but about human judgment and who gets to stay in the driver’s seat. The age of AI agents isn’t really a story about machines gaining agency, but about humans deciding what to give up.
The panels discussed topics such as the future of women’s health and how the Nordic and African ecosystems can collaborate on innovation and investment, but as de Brever pointed out, the debates were about privacy and who gets to stay in control. Emad Mostaque, co-founder of Stability AI and Intelligent Internet, sat on a panel with me about how an agentic workforce will impact the economy and what that means for personal sovereignty. Mia Negru, the advocacy and engagement director for the nonprofit Life With Artificials, echoed these sentiments, suggesting we may have to rethink ownership, work, democracy, economic participation and even who gets to participate in society.
But when the panels weren’t in session, people let loose at happy hours and rooftop soirées, where more lighter conversations eventually took over. Lovable, Nvidia, OpenAI, AWS Startups and HSBC came together to host a rooftop barbecue where I spoke to founders about Denmark’s growing tech hubs. London’s Ada Ventures hosted a gathering at the cocktail bar Bird where I chatted with one health tech founder about increased innovation in the women’s brain health space. The speakers’ dinner on an island in the middle of Copenhagen was a memorable moment, with the international press sitting together and watching fire dancers. The after-party upstairs was where everyone was tempted to stay for one more drink until the bar tab closed.
