Why Do We Need an OpenAI of Europe?

As large-language model developers such as OpenAI, Meta Platforms and Google battle for global supremacy, European LLM providers are trying to carve off that region for themselves. That’s a bad idea.

Let’s back up. A number of European Union members have poured resources into promising AI startups. In last Wednesday’s release of Mistral 7B, an open-source LLM developed by Paris-based Mistral AI, the startup thanked the operators of Leonardo, a supercomputer built through a partnership between European governments and the European Union, for its resources. And as European militaries or government agencies find new uses for LLMs, they may want to keep things in the family, so to speak.

The logic of an “OpenAI of Europe,”—as Mistral is styling itself—is partly regulatory. The looming EU AI Act, which promises to put technical restrictions on AI models, and strict data protection laws such as the General Data Protection Regulation mean a local startup conversant with the rules will do better.