Alibaba Chief Urges Europe to Embrace Open-Source AI for Tech Independence

Alibaba Chairman Joe Tsai argued that open-source AI is Europe's primary route to technological sovereignty, urging the region to build its own computing infrastructure and avoid dependence on US and Chinese closed models. Speaking at the Wave by Vento 2026 conference in Turin on October 7, Tsai warned that no country should entirely trust another nation's proprietary technology, as political changes could cut off access. He positioned open-source models trained on European data and run on European infrastructure as the only viable path to true AI independence.