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Palantir’s head of U.K. and Europe, Louis Mosley, has warned that Europe is missing the boat on artificial intelligence—just as it did with the internet.
Europe’s AI Divergence from the U.S.
Twenty years ago, Europe and the U.S. were similar in GDP per capita and capital-market depth.
Since then, the U.S. has seen strong economic growth. Europe has not matched that progress.
Mosley said the U.S. built a strong digital economy. Europe missed that opportunity.
Palantir as a Proxy for AI Adoption
Mosley called Palantir the ‘purest proxy’ for how fast an economy adopts AI.
Its platform lets governments and companies use AI tools in healthcare, industry, and defense.
Palantir supports any AI model—OpenAI, Anthropic, Gemini, Grok, or Chinese systems—and lets customers train them on their own data.
Political Opposition and Public Concerns
Palantir faces backlash in the U.K. and Europe over defense and law enforcement contracts.
It has supplied surveillance software to U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) under the Trump administration and to the Israel Defense Forces (IDF).
Some groups have raised ethical concerns about using Palantir in public services like the U.K.’s NHS.
What Mosley Says About the Criticism
Mosley says these issues distract from AI’s real benefits.
He pointed to Gaza and Trump-era contracts as the main sources of public anger.
He asked whether a patient would wait longer for a hip operation because of a foreign supplier’s contract.
AI’s Potential Benefits
AI tools could free nurses and police from repetitive tasks.
They could spend more time on direct care or community work.
Palantir has only about 1,000 customers. It is still in early stages of adoption.
Why This Matters
Mosley says the biggest risk to AI is political failure to explain its benefits.
Europe is repeating the same mistake it made with the internet: hesitation instead of action.
He concluded: ‘You’re making all the same mistakes again. I want to believe that good wins out over bad.’
Limitations and Open Questions
The source does not include data on how many European firms use AI or how much public spending goes to AI projects.
It does not analyze how political opposition affects AI in public services.
There is no discussion of AI’s energy use or comparisons to past tech controversies like bitcoin mining.
What to Watch Next
Europe’s AI policies and public sector adoption will shape the future of enterprise AI in the region.
How governments respond to Palantir and similar platforms will influence public perception.
Debates over defense and surveillance contracts will continue to matter.
Source: CoinDesk
