The Web Summit began this Monday with an unequivocal signal: artificial intelligence (AI) is no longer just a promise but has become the center of economic, political and cultural competition on a global level. In the first interventions, it became clear that the discussion is no longer just about technology, but about who controls it, how it is used and what impact it can have.
Paddy Cosgrave, founder of what is considered one of the biggest technology events in the world, set the tone at the start of the conference, highlighting that the protagonists of this new phase of artificial intelligence no longer come only from the West. “Over the next few days, you will encounter the most advanced humanoid robots in the world. They are not European, they are not American – they are Chinese”, he stated, adding that some of the main AI models present at the Web Summit come mainly from this geography.
Portugal as a “global center of innovation”
Shortly afterwards, Portugal presented its own interpretation of this change. Gonçalo Matias, Deputy Minister of State Reform, stated that the country intends to “become a global center of innovation”. “AI, data and digital transformation are reshaping our administration and even the idea of governance itself,” he explained.
Among the measures already announced or in preparation are a national strategy for data centers, the creation of a cloud sovereignty and the Digital Skills Pact, which plans to train more than two million people by 2030. The minister also confirmed that the National AI Agenda “will be presented in the coming weeks”although without providing details about it.
Carlos Moedas, president of Lisbon City Council, also sought to frame this moment within a broader horizon, stating that the current challenge is not just technological. “In the next ten years, Lisbon will not only be the capital of innovation, it will be the capital of culture and social justice”, he reinforced.
AI and entertainment
The connection between technology, culture and economy was also highlighted on other stages. Former tennis player Maria Sharapova spoke with Sarah Meron, vice president of Brand and Corporate Affairs at IBM, about how artificial intelligence is already transforming professional sport.
Faster game analysis, physical recovery of athletes monitored in real time and personalized experiences for fans were just some of the transformations identified by the speakers. It was in this context that IBM presented the Sports Tech Startup Challenge, a program that aims to identify and support startups who are developing AI solutions applied to sport.
In a different way, but linked to the same economic transformation, Khaby Lame – TikTok’s most followed creator – took the stage alongside Mark Nelson, head of Visa, to talk about the professionalization of the content creator economy.
The night ended with the presentation of Lovable, described as one of the fastest growing European startups dedicated to AI-assisted software development. The company showed how tasks that previously required entire teams of programmers can now be performed by a single person, in just a few hours, thanks to advanced code generation and automation models.