Welcome to ICYMI – a weekly snapshot of European news stories that have given me pause for thought. ICYMI is a chance for you to go beyond the front-page headlines and find out what other stories may be worthy of your attention. This week:
- Is AI stealing graduate jobs?
- Germans worry about what AI is doing with their data
- UK AI investment boom
The impact of AI is beginning to be felt across the continent’s job markets. In the Netherlands FD argues that AI is the reason for a decline in entry level jobs. The website reports that AI is increasingly being used to automate junior-level tasks across industries like finance, law, and IT. As a result, companies are hiring fewer entry-level employees. Universities and student bodies are raising concerns that AI may prevent new graduates from gaining essential work experience, potentially leading to a long-term talent gap.
The article highlights how the rise of AI is threatening traditional career paths by eliminating entry-level stepping stones. Without these roles, young professionals miss hands-on learning, mentorship, and long-term career growth. This could create a future shortage of skilled mid-level talent.
Meanwhile in Germany AI is being blamed for a decline in trust. A recent Usercentrics survey published in W&V reveals that over half of German internet users feel like mere products online, with 85% uncertain about how their personal data is utilised. Notably, 54% now actively refuse to share their data for AI training, underscoring a significant trust gap that businesses must address through enhanced transparency and data responsibility.
The big buzz in AI now is around Agentic AI, yet The Register has a story on how new analysis highlights that many AI agents, including autonomous software bots and digital assistants, still fail frequently at even basic tasks despite industry hype. Researchers warn that overestimating AI’s current capabilities could lead to user frustration and misplaced trust.
Media groups fight back against ‘AI plagiarism’
AI is also at the centre of an ongoing spat between news and magazine publishers, tech companies and the EU. TechCrunch reports that a group known as the Independent Publishers Alliance has filed an antitrust complaint with the European Commission over Google’s AI Overviews.
The complaint accuses Google of “misusing web content for Google’s AI Overviews in Google Search, which have caused, and continue to cause, significant harm to publishers, including news publishers in the form of traffic, readership and revenue loss.”
It also says that unless they are willing to disappear from Google search results entirely, publishers “do not have the option to opt out” of their material being used in AI summaries.
One solution the publishers might want to consider was unveiled this week by Cloudflare. The BBC reports that the company has launched a new system enabling millions of websites – including major publishers like Sky News and Buzzfeed – to block AI bots from scraping their content without consent. Aimed at restoring balance between content creators and AI firms, the system not only blocks crawlers but also sets the stage for a future where AI companies must pay for access. The move has been hailed as a major win by publishers, though experts warn stronger legal safeguards are still essential.
AI investment surge, but not across all Europe
There is also seemingly contradictory news this week about levels of investment in AI. According to Sifted, European investors are increasingly anxious about missing out on lucrative AI startups as big funding rounds concentrate in Silicon Valley and China. Many worry that a lack of homegrown success stories could see Europe fall behind in the global AI race, pushing funds to back early-stage ventures to avoid missing the next OpenAI.
One country, however, that seems to be capitalising on AI is the UK. City AM has a story about how venture capital investment in the UK is outpacing the rest of Europe, driven by a boom in AI startups. UK AI pocketed $2.4bn (£1.8bn) in VC investment in the first six months of the year, representing 30 per cent of all funding raises – the highest on record. This surge highlights London’s continued dominance as a tech hub, despite economic headwinds and competition from other European cities vying for top talent and capital.
Finally, if Europe feels it has missed the investment opportunity afforded by AI it is optimistic it will not with quantum computing. French media Les Echos reports that the European Union is intensifying efforts to lead in quantum technology by 2030, unveiling a strategy that emphasises increased private investment to complement over €11 billion in public funding allocated over the past five years. Currently, Europe attracts only 5% of global private quantum investments, prompting initiatives like the forthcoming “Quantum Act” aimed at fostering a robust quantum ecosystem and preventing the relocation of promising start-ups to better-funded regions.
About the author
Bastian Meger is Director at Tyto. He helps our clients create exciting communication opportunities that are relevant to journalists and their readers.