J. Walker on economic competitiveness
From A Fireside Chat with Kent Walker: Perspectives on Ireland’s Digital Future · · IIEA
“Today the American economy is 20 or 30% larger and most economists attribute that to the rise of digitization.”
On , J. Walker, President of Global Affairs, Chief Legal Officer & Company Secretary at Google, spoke about economic competitiveness during A Fireside Chat with Kent Walker: Perspectives on Ireland’s Digital Future on IIEA.
About J. Walker
Kent Walker, President of Global Affairs at Google and Alphabet, has recently spoken about the importance of Europe’s digital competitiveness and the role of AI in economic growth. In a February 2026 fireside chat in Ireland, he said that Ireland’s regulators are “at the vanguard of shaping European policy” for the AI era and argued that Ireland’s upcoming presidency of the Council of the EU is a moment to “refocus Europe on an optimistic version of the future.” He has also warned that a draft EU AI code of practice “has taken something of a wrong turn,” saying it would require heavy bureaucratic review of all general-purpose AI models and create risks of data poisoning and cyber attacks. In other appearances, Walker has discussed the geopolitical dimensions of technology. He stated that the United States and China are in a “neck and neck race” on AI, citing data that China now leads in 57 of 64 critical technology categories. He has also argued that AI gives advantage to defenders in cybersecurity, and that a “diplomatic equivalent of arms control talks” is missing in the current technology competition. On AI regulation, he has said Google believes “AI is too important not to regulate” but that the biggest risk may be “not proceeding with AI at all” given its potential to address climate change and other social problems.