2025 EU-US Young Leaders Seminar: Artificial Intelligence Opportunities, Challenges and the Path Forward

The 2025 EU-US Young Leaders Seminar took place in Brussels from May 12-15, focusing on 𝘈𝘳𝘵𝘪𝘧𝘪𝘤𝘪𝘢𝘭 𝘐𝘯𝘵𝘦𝘭𝘭𝘪𝘨𝘦𝘯𝘤𝘦: 𝘖𝘱𝘱𝘰𝘳𝘵𝘶𝘯𝘪𝘵𝘪𝘦𝘴, 𝘊𝘩𝘢𝘭𝘭𝘦𝘯𝘨𝘦𝘴, 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘗𝘢𝘵𝘩 𝘍𝘰𝘳𝘸𝘢𝘳𝘥.
The annual seminar, co-organised by GOPA Worldwide Consultants-led consortium partner German Marshall Fund of the United States (GMF), European Union Delegation to the United States, the U.S. Department of State Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs, the Fulbright Commission in Brussels, and the Directorate-General for Education and Culture of the European Commission, is an opportunity for young leaders from across the U.S. and the EU to discuss important issues. Participants are current beneficiaries of The Fulbright Program and current beneficiaries or alumni of the Erasmus+ and Marie Skłodowska-Curie programs.
This year’s seminar included a range of high-level speakers from EU and US think tanks, institutions and academia. Young Leaders had the opportunity to engage with representatives from DGEAC, EEAS, OECD, NATO, and many more as well as an armchair discussion with former Prime Minister of Belgium, Alexander De Croo. Additionally, there was a reception hosted at the residence of the Chargé d’Affaires of the US Mission to the EU.
Discussions covered many debates concerning the future of AI addressing several key topics such as education, regulation, and ethics. A group session involved a hypothetical crisis situation concerning AI governance and media.
Sincere appreciation to all teams working on the event, including experts and project managers and to partners: the Delegation of the EU to the U.S., the U.S. Department of State, the Fulbright Commission in Brussels, and the Directorate-General for Education and Culture of the European Commission.