Agent AI and digital sovereignty: Europe seeks its role in the new technological order in the face of China, according to experts at DES 2026

DES 2026

DES 2026 in Malaga analyzes the new era of agentic AI. Experts from Microsoft, Tencent, and the World Bank discuss European digital sovereignty, competitiveness against the Chinese ecosystem, and the need for secure data governance for enterprise adoption.

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The congress DES – Digital Enterprise Show 2026, which celebrates its tenth edition in MálagaIt has established itself as the epicenter of the debate on the future of Artificial Intelligence and its impact on global business. During its second day, leaders of technology giants such as Microsoft y Tencent Cloud, along with organizations such as Banco MundialThey have outlined the main features of the new competitive landscape, marked by the emergence of agentic AI, the race for digital sovereignty, and the undisputed technological leadership of China.

The era of agentic AI and the primacy of data

One of the most authoritative voices at the event has been that of Yongdong Wang, corporate vice president of Microsoft and president of the R&D Group of Asia-PacíficoAccording to the executive, AI has entered a new phase of development. "If we look at the great advances in society, we have reached the Agentic AI"He stated, highlighting the rapid adoption of tools such as ChatGPT, which reached 100 million users in just two months.

To WangThis evolution will only be sustainable if companies address three fundamental pillars: data management, infrastructure, and governance. “For businesses, Data is the most important asset they can have.“He emphasized the need to structure information to enhance the value of co-pilots and intelligent agents. He also warned about the critical importance of security when scaling up these technologies, both in the edge as in the cloud, stating that "agents need their own identity and access controls."

The geopolitical map of AI: the European dilemma in the face of the Chinese ecosystem

The analysis of Yongdong Wang It also drew a new geopolitical map of innovation, where Asia, and in particular ChinaThey hold a leading position. He described the Chinese ecosystem as "comprehensive, cost-efficient, massively scalable, with constant experimentation and a high concentration of talent." In contrast to this model, Europa It faces significant challenges related to regulation, investment, limited computing capacity, and market fragmentation.

However, the executive of Microsoft He pointed out clear opportunities for European companies, especially in the development of Vertical AI, the strengthening of B2B alliances between Asia y Europa, and the positioning of trust and governance as differentiating strategic assets.

In this line, Carme Artigas, a renowned international expert in AI, highlighted the role of España as “a great testing ground” for the Asian giant, thanks to its intense trade. “The bilateral conversation is evolving from traditional trade toward a deeper reflection on who is building the digital foundation,” he noted. For his part, Margaret Chen, endorsed by the Chinese government, recalled that Europa You must understand that in the technological field "speed is key".

From experimentation to implementation: the challenge of scalability

Fred Sun, CEO at Europa de Tencent CloudHe addressed the challenge of the real adoption of AI in the business world. "AI has moved beyond experimentation," he stated, explaining that the arrival of agentic AI is allowing organizations to understand its true potential. SunThe current challenge is not to test every new solution, but to "choose those capabilities that best fit the specific needs of each organization," definitively moving from pilot projects to large-scale implementation.

Ponente	Company / Organization	Key to his intervention
Yongdong Wang	Microsoft	AI has entered the 'agent' era. Europa It should specialize in vertical AI and governance.
Carme Artigas	International AI Expert	España It is a strategic 'testbed' for digital alliances with China.
Fred Sun	Tencent Cloud	The business challenge is to move from AI pilots to a real and scalable implementation.
Stefaan Verhulst	Universidad de Nueva York	Europa It suffers from a 'technological dependence' and must broaden its concept of digital sovereignty.

Digital sovereignty and a European model based on trust

Stefaan Verhulst, academic of the Universidad de Nueva YorkHe offered a critical perspective on the European position. Europa "There is a dependence on technology, and this can be harmful," he warned. Therefore, he defended the need to "reduce that dependence" and to promote a digital sovereignty that goes beyond infrastructure and regulation, to also incorporate talent, data, and the capacity for collective action. Verhulst He advocated for the creation of common data spaces and a "social license" that legitimizes ethical technological development.

Practical applications: AI in global crisis management

The congress also explored the more pragmatic applications of AI, such as its potential to transform humanitarian action. Trevor Monroe, Senior Program Manager of Banco MundialHe stated that "AI can play a huge role," although he added that "the actions that need to be taken require human decision-making."

As an example of this application, Vicente Botti, director of VRAIN, presented a platform for climate emergencies that uses digital twins to simulate crisis scenarios in areas such as ValenciaBotti highlighted that AI allows for optimized resource allocation, but warned of a key risk: "It's very important that we don't have data silos." A view shared by Monroe, who pointed out that countries like Estonia, Arabia Saudí o España They already use aggregated data to generate statistics and learn from each other's experiences.

Key points and frequently asked questions about AI and digital sovereignty

How does China's leadership in AI affect Spanish exporting companies?

Chinese leadership presents both a competitive challenge and an opportunity. For Spanish companies, it implies the need to accelerate their own technological adoption to avoid losing market share. At the same time, it opens the door to strategic B2B alliances with Chinese partners to access their innovation ecosystem, utilizing España as an entry platform to Europa.

What is "agent AI" and why is it important for international business?

Agentic AI refers to the new generation of artificial intelligence systems that can act autonomously to perform complex tasks, negotiate, or make decisions on behalf of a user. For international trade, this could revolutionize everything from logistics management and supply chain optimization to contract negotiation and customer service in international markets, operating 24/7.

What practical steps should European companies take to strengthen their digital sovereignty?

According to experts, companies must go beyond regulatory compliance. Key steps include investing in their own or European data infrastructure, developing specialized in-house talent, embracing vertical AI (expert solutions for their sector), and participating in the creation of common data spaces at the European level to train their own models without relying on external ecosystems.