Barcelona's Exponential Day 2025: Vanessa Cann unveils the next AI revolution

At Exponential Day 2025 in Barcelona, organized by ACCIO-Catalonia Trade & Investment, one of Europe’s most influential AI experts, Vanessa Cann, delivered a keynote titled “The Next Technology Wave. When AI Thinks and Acts on Our Behalf”. Cann explored the rapid evolution of artificial intelligence, Europe’s strategic role in the global AI race, and the profound changes in society that lie ahead.

“We are with two feet in the sixth wave of our technological revolution: generative AI, hyper-automation, and robotics,” Cann stated. Cann, co-founder of the German AI Association (KI Bundesverband) and a renowned advocate for European AI sovereignty, began by highlighting historical patterns of technological disruption. She warned against underestimating the current AI wave as a passing trend: “With AI, we cannot sit this one out. It’s a huge revolution—it’s changing everything.”

“Europe is uniquely positioned and its competitive advantage lies in its values: trust, transparency, and human-centric design”

Vaness Cann, Entrepreneur, Manager, Forbes 30 under 30

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The keynote centered on agentic AI, a new paradigm in which AI doesn’t merely inform decisions but autonomously acts on behalf of users. Cann showcased real examples of how orchestration between AI agents can automate highly complex workflows—such as launching a product on Amazon from scratch, from ideation to manufacturing and marketing.

“We’re moving from AI as a knowledge retrieval engine to AI thinking and acting on our behalf,” she explained. “It’s like having an orchestrator agent within your company that coordinates HR, finance, operations—everything—by interacting with millions of specialized agents.”

Europe’s moment to lead in Ethical AI

Cann also emphasized Europe’s opportunity to lead in the AI space by capitalizing on trust, vertical specialization, and ethical governance. “Europe is uniquely positioned,” she argued. “The competitive advantage lies in our values: trust, transparency, and human-centric design.”

When asked if Europe can truly innovate while maintaining strict data privacy laws, Cann was optimistic: “There are parts of AI that we do not want in Europe, like social scoring. Having red lines through regulation is a strength, not a weakness.”

She highlighted the growing interest for sovereign AI, noting that European corporations increasingly seek local providers to ensure data stays within EU borders. Cann also pointed to the region’s dominance in vertical SaaS as a unique investment opportunity: “All investors in Silicon Valley are looking at niche problems now. That’s where Europe is strong.”

Building AI with purpose and humanity

Despite the potential, Cann warned that many companies remain stuck in an "experimentation loop" and fail to scale AI solutions effectively. She stressed the need to invest in data readiness, cross-functional collaboration, and psychological safety for teams adopting AI tools.

The keynote closed on a human note. When asked what skill AI may never surpass, Cann answered, “Human-on-human interaction. We still need doctors who take time to explain, to care. That human connection is irreplaceable.”

Cann’s keynote made one thing clear: the next tech wave isn’t coming—it’s already here. And Europe, if it plays to its strengths, is well poised to lead it. Watch the full keynote by Vanessa Cann to explore how AI is reshaping our future—and how Europe can lead the way.