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Germany Wants to Compete in the AI Arms Race at Axel Springer Summit

By arthursheikin@gmail.comSeptember 27, 2025No Comments4 Mins Read

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Germany Wants to Compete in the AI Arms Race at Axel Springer Summit – Business Insider

Business Insider

2025-09-27T09:00:01Z

I flew 2,950 miles to Berlin for the Welt AI Summit — two days of discussions on the future of AI.
OpenAI’s Sam Altman, Palantir’s Alex Karp, and the head of Germany’s DOGE-like ministry spoke.
My main takeaway was that Germany needs to scale back regulation so that new tech can flourish.

This week, Axel Springer hosted business leaders and politicians to debate the present and future of artificial intelligence.

A woman slips a band onto a conferencegoer's wrist.

Full disclosure: Axel Springer and our emcee, CEO Mathias Döpfner, own Business Insider.

Mathias Döpfner speaks into a microphone.

The sleek, futuristic set, ringed with microphones, notebooks, and coffee, made me feel like I was on the bridge of a starbase.

Technologists talk on a brightly lit stage.

OpenAI’s Sam Altman may run a startup, but Berlin greeted him as a visiting head of state.

Sam Altman speaks into a microphone and Mathias Döpfner listens intently. — Sam Altman and Mathias Döpfner.

Axel Springer

He’d brought good news. OpenAI said Wednesday it will partner with German software giant SAP to enable millions of the country’s public sector employees to use ChatGPT.

Philipp Herzig, chief technology officer and chief AI officer at SAP, talks into a microphone. — Philipp Herzig, chief technology officer and chief AI officer at SAP, took the stage later in the day.

Welt

Germany is OpenAI’s fifth-largest market, and “virtually all” Germans ages 18 to 24 use ChatGPT, Altman said.

People sit at a U-shaped table curving around a stage.

Döpfner recited a popular criticism of Europe that it regulates new technology before it can take root. He asked if a more iterative approach to rule-making made sense.

Mathias Döpfner talks into a microphone as Sam Altman listens.

“The tech is moving so fast,” Altman said, “that trying to write the regulation now and have it be correct over decades to come is an impossible task.”

Sam Altman talks into a microphone.

Altman proclaimed fusion the “end state of power on earth.”

Sam Altman talks into a microphone sitting next to Mathias Döpfner.

And he forecast a flood of small to midsize businesses run by solo founders and ChatGPT.

Sam Altman listens as Mathias Döpfner speaks into a mic.

As their talk wrapped up, I slipped into the hallway to try to catch Altman on his way out.

Sam Altman talks into a microphone as Mathias Döpfner listens.

Success! We talked about his meeting with the German chancellor and the changing visa policy back home.

Sam Altman stands with arms crossed, talking to a journalist. — Reporter Melia Russell and Sam Altman.

Jakob Hoff/Welt

Altman is a tough act to follow. Maybe that’s why organizers put Germany’s version of Elon Musk onstage next.

Federal Minister Karsten Wildberger points a finger as he talks. — Federal Minister Karsten Wildberger.

Dominik Tryba/Welt

Karsten Wildberger is Germany’s first-ever federal minister for digital transformation and government modernization. Think DOGE for Deutschland.

Technologists participate in a panel discussion on a stage.

He wants to scale back regulation. “We have to start to open up the gates and allow our companies to innovate much, much faster,” he said.

German Federal Minister Kerstner Wildberger talks into a microphone. — German Federal Minister Kerstner Wildberger.

Welt

Deregulation became the battle cry of the day.

Professionals sit on a stage before a blue screen.

Entrepreneurs and politicians asked how else they could jump-start Germany’s tech hub.

A man gestures with his hands while talking. — Andreas Mundt, president of the German competition authority, raises a question to the speakers.

Jakob Hoff/Welt

One venture capitalist said Germany has an abundance of seed capital, but not enough growth capital to help startups scale. So they end up migrating to other countries.

Professionals sit around a U-shaped conference table.

Richard Socher, a German-born founder who runs You.com, pointed out that venture capital translates as “risk capital” in German. He said this indicates that Germans often focus more on the downsides than the potential rewards.

Richard Socher counts on his fingers — Richard Socher, founder and CEO of You.com, was patched in live.

Welt

The last speaker gave the room a pep rally buzz more than a conference vibe.

Professionals laugh massed around a conference table.

Palantir’s Alex Karp dialed in to motivate the Germans. He cheered Germany’s focus on vocational schools and “a culture of industrialization that’s second to none.”

Palantir's Alex Karp is shown on a screen.

Karp, a fluent German speaker who studied at a university in Frankfurt, argued that Germany shouldn’t try to clone Silicon Valley but instead define its own model — one that draws on the country’s strengths and channels its native talent.

Alex Karp joins a video call from a contemporary wood cabin.

“You’re not going to build Silicon Valley in Germany,” Karp said, “You’re going to build a German version.”

Professionals stand and talk amongst themselves around a conference table.

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