Founders’ Takesis a new series presenting expert perspectives from technology leaders who are revolutionizing industries with artificial intelligence. In this edition, Lucas Spreiter, founder of the German startup Venta AI, shares his insights on the future of AI employees.

Founders’ Takes: Why We Need European AI Employees

The Inevitable Shift to AI Labor

Artificial intelligence is poised to trigger the most profound transformation of this century: the shift from human-centric workforces to those augmented or even replaced by AI. In the coming years, businesses won't merely view AI as a supplementary tool; they will integrate AI as integral colleagues, capable of managing critical workflows autonomously, from start to finish.

This evolution is not a matter of choice, but of inevitability. The crucial question, then, becomes: whose AI employees will we be integrating? Should Europe fail to match the pace of innovation set by the US and China in developing its own AI workforce, we risk ceding a significant portion of our economic value creation – or, as Germans aptly term it,Wertschöpfung– the very foundation of our prosperity.

The Dawn of Autonomous AI Agents

The pivotal moment arrived in 2022 with OpenAI's ChatGPT, which undeniably demonstrated the scalability of automating knowledge work. Tasks such as research, content creation, coding, and data analysis, once exclusively human domains, suddenly became achievable through software. The subsequent emergence of AI agents has propelled these capabilities even further.

With AI agents, models transcend simple textual responses; they can conceptualize, strategize, and execute entire workflows across diverse tools and platforms, undertaking complex tasks with minimal human intervention.

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The Global AI Race: Dominance and Disruption

While OpenAI, closely aligned with Microsoft, currently maintains a leading position in this burgeoning field, competition is intensifying rapidly. Google has significantly advanced with its Gemini models, Meta with LLaMA, and Anthropic with Claude. Yet, a consistent pattern persists: the vanguard of today's AI revolution primarily consists of American tech giants, who not only architect and oversee the foundational models but also control the underlying infrastructure and operational frameworks powering businesses worldwide.

Their most formidable contender hails from the East. China, exemplified by its DeepSeek system, has proven its capacity for rapid advancement, outperforming many Western models in benchmarks while operating at substantially lower computing costs. Bolstered by robust state backing, Beijing ensures that China will not remain a follower for long in the AI sphere.

Europe's AI Paradox: Inventing, Yet Losing Out

A Foundation of European Innovation

Long before ChatGPT became a household name, European researchers laid essential groundwork for modern artificial intelligence.

The Commercialization Chasm

The paradox is stark: Europe innovates, while others capitalize. LeCun transitioned to Meta, DeepMind was acquired by Google, and Stable Diffusion found its commercialization pathway through Stability AI, operating in both London and the US.

A New Guard of European AI Pioneers

A burgeoning generation of European AI enterprises is now striving to alter this narrative. France’s Mistral is asserting Europe’s claim to sovereign AI, developing open-source Large Language Models (LLMs) and enterprise tools like Le Chat, which have attracted major clients such as AXA and BNP Paribas. Similarly, Black Forest Labs, a spin-off from the same LMU team behind Stable Diffusion, is building one of the most powerful image generators, committed to retaining cutting-edge research and its commercial realization within Europe.

Other startups, such as Germany’s Langdock, have chosen a distinct strategy. Rather than constructing foundation models themselves, they empower companies to leverage existing LLMs while ensuring that data and critical workflows remain securely in-house.

Europe's Golden Opportunity: Industrial Strength Meets AI Application

We are merely scratching the surface of AI’s potential. Today's models, while impressively powerful, are still in their nascent stages. The true, transformative value will not stem solely from the models themselves, but from their strategic application: automating workflows, streamlining operations, and effectively creating AI employees capable of managing complex tasks across entire businesses.

For Europe, this represents an unparalleled opportunity. Our industries are renowned for their high efficiency and clearly defined, rule-based workflows—precisely the kind of environments where AI excels. Sectors such as manufacturing, logistics, finance, insurance, and even customer support possess immense potential for augmentation or complete replacement by AI systems that can adhere to documented procedures, make informed decisions, and execute entire processes autonomously.

The Tangible Economic Upside

The monetization potential is enormous. Every workflow that can be automated translates into an opportunity to slash costs, boost speed, and expand operations. Crucially, unlike the often-speculative hype surrounding consumer-facing AI, this value is concrete and directly impacts enterprise productivity and efficiency.

The Imperative to Act Now

However, time is of the essence. If Europe hesitates to train, deploy, and integrate AI employees locally, we risk becoming passive consumers. AI labor will be imported from the US, along with the associated economic value. Instead of spearheading the next industrial revolution, we will find ourselves paying foreign providers to manage our essential business functions.

Europe’s challenge—and its profound opportunity—is clear: to transform its existing industrial advantages into a homegrown AI workforce. The companies that successfully create, train, and scale AI employees within Europe will ultimately define the next wave of global economic leadership.

Case Study: The Nuance of AI in European Sales

Sales Automation: A Natural Fit for AI

If there’s one domain where AI employees are already demonstrating their worth, it's sales automation. Sales workflows are frequently manual, repetitive, and rule-based—encompassing everything from generating lead lists and market monitoring to drafting outreach emails and even conducting cold calls. This makes them an ideal arena for AI that can adhere to defined processes and execute tasks at scale.

Lessons from 11x.ai: Potential and Pitfalls

The startup 11x.ai vividly illustrated both the immense potential and inherent risks in this field. Originally based in the UK, the team relocated to the US after securing a $50 million financing round, claiming to have developed “digital workers” that yielded “human results” by automating sales workflows from prospecting to deal closure. While they experienced rapid growth, their ambitious claims attracted scrutiny: a TechCrunch investigation highlighted challenges with customer retention, ultimately leading to the CEO's departure. Nevertheless, their ascent underscores the transformative speed and value AI can bring to sales.

Why Localized AI is Crucial for Europe

However, a system like 11x.ai would encounter significant obstacles in Europe. Sales practices here often prioritize quality over sheer quantity, stringent compliance rules restrict unsolicited email outreach, and GDPR meticulously governs every aspect of data handling. A US-centric AI employee simply cannot be seamlessly integrated into complex European workflows.

This is precisely why my startup, Venta AI, adopts a localized strategy. Rather than pursuing a global market, our team in Germany is meticulously designing AI sales employees specifically tailored to European nuances, respecting distinct cultural norms, legal frameworks, and robust data protection standards. As our founder, Lucas Spreiter, wisely observed to Handelsblatt: “You wouldn’t hire an American for a German sales role — and the same applies to AI.”

The Path Forward for European AI Leadership

Europe possesses the talent, research capabilities, and industrial efficiency to lead the next wave of AI labor—but only if it acts decisively now. The advent of AI employees is inevitable, and the true value resides not just in their raw capabilities, but in how these models are applied. By constructing AI systems that honor European workflows, culture, and compliance, startups such as Mistral, Black Forest Labs, Langdock, and Venta AI are transforming a potential vulnerability into a strategic opportunity.

The message is unambiguous: Europe can either passively import AI labor from the US and fall behind, or proactively create its own AI employees and seize the economic and strategic value of this profound transformation. The choice made today will define the continent’s role in the AI-powered economy of tomorrow.

About the Author

Lucas Spreiter is the founder of Venta AI, a startup dedicated to building AI colleagues for sales teams across Europe. He also serves as the representative for the German AI Association in Bavaria. Prior to founding Venta AI, Spreiter participated in the prestigious Y Combinator startup program and spent time in San Francisco. His entrepreneurial journey in AI began with his first AI startup in 2018.

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