Austrian officials have requested the European Union to facilitate the establishment of American artificial intelligence company Anthropic within Europe. Alexander Pröll, Austria’s state secretary for digitalisation, made the request in a letter to Henna Virkkunen, the European Commission’s executive vice-president for tech sovereignty.
The request follows an order from the US Commerce Department mandating Anthropic to restrict foreign nationals’ access to its two most advanced systems due to national security concerns. Consequently, Anthropic switched off access to its models globally, resulting in a significant outage across Europe.
Pröll emphasized that Europe must not merely accept such restrictions. He stated that member states should jointly explore “the strategic establishment and participation of Anthropic within the European Union,” ensuring legal certainty, market access, capital, and alignment with European values.
The proposal aims for a guaranteed access model rather than a mere customer relationship. However, Pröll did not provide details on how this establishment might be realized, including whether it would involve a European subsidiary or data-residency arrangements. He acknowledged there would likely be skepticism about the proposal’s feasibility.
This letter signifies a notable shift in Europe’s approach to AI access, moving from negotiating for usage rights to seeking a tangible presence of an AI company in the region. Previously, discussions focused on fostering homegrown AI capabilities, particularly emphasizing models like the French Mistral.
Austria’s communication reflects broader European concerns about relying on US policy decisions that can significantly impact access to advanced technologies. The European Commission had initiated conversations with Washington to restore European access after the export order, highlighting vulnerabilities in EU policy.
As of now, Virkkunen’s office has not publicly responded to Austria’s proposal. Implementing this suggestion would require navigating complex legal, competition, and security considerations that necessitate consensus among EU member states. The underlying concern remains Europe’s immediate prospect of losing access to advanced AI models due to external decisions.
