European CEOs have placed cybersecurity at the top of their concern list as geopolitical tensions rise with Russia, Iran, North Korea and China. Frontier AI models have exposed new software vulnerabilities, increasing business anxiety.
"What everybody is concerned about is cyber, that is for sure," said Capgemini CEO Aiman Ezzat, sitting in his office overlooking the Arc de Triomphe in Paris. "This has become number one."
The second issue is "sovereign AI," as European companies find themselves caught between U.S. and Chinese technology dominance. Both players have indicated a willingness to use their technology for geopolitical ends. Ezzat asked how companies can ensure operational continuity and resilience if access to critical technology is cut off.
Cybersecurity was also a recurring theme at WSJ Tech: California, where speakers warned of coming chaos from cyberattacks and called for formally verified code and secure-by-design systems.
Source: Wall Street Journal US Business · Summarized by HeadlinesBriefing