EU member states need to turn their declarations of intent about international cooperation on technological sovereignty into real projects. According to Kai-Fu Li, former president of Google China, Europe has little chance of winning even the "bronze medal" in the global race to develop artificial intelligence (AI). Although this sounds like a harsh judgment, there seems to be widespread agreement among analysts, commentators, and policymakers that Europe is missing the boat on technological innovation in general and AI in particular. Excessive regulation, a business environment ill-suited to start-ups, a lack of investment – the list of grievances is long. But, while these concerns are not completely unfounded, they are somewhat self-flagellating.

The European Commission's incoming president has promised to introduce new legislation governing AI amid fears about Europe's increasing dependence on US tech. Ursula von der Leyen set out her plans in a speech on Wednesday after the European Parliament approved her and her cabinet's appointment. The commission chief, who has pledged to create a range of new laws within the first 100 days of her presidency, said she was in favour of a AI-focused legislation similar to the General Data Protection Regulation that came into effect last year. "It is not about damming up the flow of data," she said. "It is about making rules that define how to handle data responsibly. For us the protection of a person's digital identity is the overriding priority."

Amid the hand-wringing about the rise of nationalism and populism, it's easy to miss that the past two years have also produced surprising and useful shifts in global opinion. Even Donald Trump can be good news for the world. Nowhere is this gestalt shift more evident than in how we approach policy dilemmas related to technology. The idea of "digital" as a magic, untouchable realm that was to bring prosperity to all, one disruption at a time, is now dead. The thorny questions are no longer the prerogative of affluent hippies at Wired magazine or TED talks; instead, they are returning to their original realms of international trade, national economic development and security.