Reflection on Hacktivate AI: Policy Meets Action

On September 23rd, the AI World team participated in Hacktivate AI, Europe's first policy hackathon designed to accelerate AI adoption across the European economy. Organized by OpenAI and Allied For Startups in Brussels, the event brought together entrepreneurs, policymakers, startups, business leaders, academics, and civil society to develop bold policy solutions.

Breaking New Ground in Policy Innovation

Rather than traditional conferences producing position papers, participants “hacked“ in real-time to prototype actionable solutions. Over 60 policy hackers collaborated across seven tracks, addressing Europe's most pressing AI adoption challenges: workforce readiness, adoption incentives, technical bottlenecks, AI for government, monitoring and reporting, macro-policies, and ecosystem collaboration.

The day featured inspiring interventions from Executive Vice President Henna Virkkunen and MEP Eva Maydell, alongside insights from industry leaders representing SAP, the European Central Bank, the EU AI Office, and OpenAI. The panel discussions and keynotes reinforced a unified vision: AI can and must be a source of prosperity and progress for Europe.

The event's core themes aligned well with AI World's mission. Speakers consistently emphasized the critical need for evidence-based policy, cross-sector partnerships, and the scaling of successful AI implementations. These are challenges we tackle daily through our data-driven approach. The discussions around workforce readiness, technical infrastructure, and ecosystem collaboration reflected the very gaps we work to bridge by mapping the AI Ecosystem through patents, investments and research publications.

Connecting Europe's AI Ecosystems

Our team (Pierre-Alexandre Balland, who also served as track captain for monitoring and reporting, Robert Praas, Francisco Ríos Fierro, Leon Oliver Wolf, and Federico Plantera) engaged directly with the policymakers, industry leaders, and innovators shaping Europe's AI landscape. The energy in the room was palpable, and the 17 concrete policy proposals that emerged demonstrated what's possible when Europe's brightest minds collaborate with a shared purpose

Looking Ahead

As we await the comprehensive report compiling all proposals developed during the hackathon, we're energized by the momentum. Hacktivate AI proved that Europe can lead in AI adoption when we combine bold ambition with practical, evidence-based solutions. The path forward is clear: continued collaboration, data-driven insights, and relentless focus on turning policy into impact.