Interview between Christian Kaspar and Constantin Schreiber

Christian Kaspar: You have just returned from the Middle East. For me, as a tech strategist, one of the regions I always observe closely is Israel. They have a vibrant tech ecosystem and a vibrant innovation hub, but they operate in a very complex security environment. How do you observe this impacting the way they approach tech and innovation?

Constantin Schreiber: They see it as the dawn of a new age - like the invention of the wheel. They believe this is a historic moment that we are witnessing right now. And I think they are right. It could change absolutely everything, all aspects of our daily lives. They see it not as a challenge, but as a prospect and a chance to participate in a market that is fundamentally reshaping our lives. It is a very open-minded, very business-driven approach - a mindset that especially young people share. It is the number one priority for young people to be in the tech industry, to be in the space where AI is being created. They want to create jobs, they want to build businesses.

And because I move back and forth, I think I can evaluate the different approaches here in Germany and in the Middle East. In Germany, we talk a lot about risks, challenges, and what AI might mean in a more negative way for our lives. That's a completely different mindset. 

Christian Kaspar: Is this a cultural trait, that people from the Middle East are more open-minded toward innovation? And we are more conservative or protective? Or is there a specific narrative that has helped foster that openness?

Constantin Schreiber: Well, this is something that is true for Israelis and Arabs alike. They are very different in many ways, but across the entire Middle East, I think people are just very realistic when it comes to what AI will mean for us. They say: it is here, it will take over, we cannot make it go away, but we are the ones who can choose how to shape it and how to build a future where AI works for us. That is my impression as a journalist. Whereas here in Germany, of course we are also very innovative and entrepreneurial, with very innovative companies, but sometimes my feeling is that people underestimate AI‘s potential and still think it might go away.

Christian Kaspar: This is something I observe as well. What I am missing here in Germany and Europe is the attitude of saying: How can we create our own solutions? How can we bring entrepreneurial spirit into digital innovation and AI? Is that something you observe as well when comparing the Middle East with Germany?

Constantin Schreiber: Yes, but not only the Middle East. I spoke with someone who had surgery in Israel, and then I spoke with German doctors here who explained to me what AI means for medical studies and for the entire medical sector.

I think we need to understand much more clearly that AI holds enormous potential to change our lives for the better. The medical field is perhaps the best example. Doctors explained to me how you can now compute data in ways that were impossible just two or three years ago, and that this will dramatically change the outcomes of all kinds of medical treatments.
So we can clearly see that yes, there are risks, and I do not want to deny that. We have very prominent entrepreneurs in the AI sector who openly explain that if we do not control AI, it may at some point take over. And it is we humans who are prone to failure, not AI. We operate in a system that is designed to work perfectly: we are the ones who contribute failure to that system. So there is a human element of risk, and AI may perceive that as a threat. But that is a separate discussion.

What medical professionals are telling me is that now is actually the worst time to become seriously ill within the next five years. Because after that, we will have the ability to heal people and help them in ways that have been unknown in human history - because of AI. 

Christian Kaspar: Now, interestingly, Europe's response to tech innovation - whether it is large-scale compute, genomics, or AI - has been regulatory. We have the EU AI Act, we have data protection laws, we have initiatives like Gaia-X. But it is not as though we have a pan-European innovation fund where we say: let's make this our own, let's build our own platforms. How do you see Europe compared to the Middle East, and also the U.S., where I believe you spend time as well?

Constantin Schreiber: The challenge is clearly the federal system in the EU. We have seen this in other sectors as well: we still think in terms of national interest rather than European interest. We had moments where that faded somewhat. During Covid-19, for instance, the European dimension became much stronger. As horrible as the pandemic was, it was a moment where we saw a genuine European approach to a problem.

But unfortunately, when it comes to AI, I still see European countries trying to work it out by themselves rather than placing it on a European platform. There are public funds at the European level, but the actors themselves do not really collaborate. I am not sure how to solve that, because the mechanisms as they exist today mean that European funds are distributed through national agencies and national players. To make it truly European, you would need a central body that distributes funds and coordinates everything. But I do not see that working in an environment where political interests remain very much focused on national systems. 

Christian Kaspar: The question for me is, when we look at the U.S., on one side, that is driving technology innovation through large-scale tech companies, and China, on the other side, who is entering the market with platforms like TikTok and expanding through infrastructure projects, where do you see the opportunity for Europe to create its own sovereign digital space?

Constantin Schreiber: From my perspective - as a journalist looking at this from the outside - the core question is how we want to drive digital innovation. Do we want to drive it through a state-controlled, organized model? Or do we want to create an environment where businesses can freely develop AI solutions?

Based on our history, I would not want a model where a central government dictates the direction of AI development. I would prefer a more open space for innovation. But I think we are not yet clear about how we achieve that. Right now, I think we are not providing clear guidance to companies about what they can expect from being innovative in Europe. 

Christian Kaspar: You have always investigated throughout your career how narratives influence people and shape cultural behaviors. As daily life in many parts of the world becomes fully digital, do you see these digital environments, and the AI systems embedded in them, beginning to shape cultural narratives in new ways?

Constantin Schreiber: This is a very good and very layered question. What I can observe, whether in Israel or the Arab world, is that every aspect of daily life is already very digital. Whether you are applying for a driver's license, checking into a hotel, or going through immigration - it is all digital.

And this is creating new narratives in an indirect way. Because these digital systems are built locally, they naturally reflect local culture: the languages offered - Chinese, Arabic, Hebrew - the faces you see, the examples shown, the cultural references embedded in the interfaces. You do not primarily see Europeans. Countries like the United Arab Emirates are very aware of diversity and will include some European representation, which is good. But primarily, the Arab world is placed at the center with the language, the faces, the appearance, what you see in advertisements, on websites, in the digital guides that walk you through processes online.

This represents a significant cultural shift. You do not see Americans there; you do not see the Statue of Liberty on display. It is local ingredients, local culture, local faces - which is natural and positive. But this is not only a business competition. It is also a cultural one because the more these digital systems become part of everyday life, the more the cultural references, examples, and languages we encounter naturally shift as well. These everyday interactions are training new models and new solutions, which is something that is simply not happening at the same scale in Europe.

I mean, if I look around here in Germany, I am still faxing documents from time to time.

Christian Kaspar: That is still happening?

Constantin Schreiber: Yes, it is still happening. Or take the pandemic: remember Covid-19, when we were waiting for case numbers to be issued every morning? They had to wait for faxes to arrive in Berlin in order to count them. That was only two or three years ago. Perhaps it has improved since then, but it was the perfect example of how far behind we were.

Christian Kaspar: You moved to the UAE in 2006 and lived there for three years, long before Covid-19 and all the global attention on the Middle East. What was that experience like?

Constantin Schreiber: It was fascinating because you could see Dubai in process. Now it is a globally recognized hub, but in 2006 it was still evolving as a global metropolis. What is impressive is how well it was planned. When I first visited in 1999, they were digging holes in the desert, there was nothing else there. They were laying the foundations for the Dubai Marina. It was a massive venture, and all you could see were these holes in the middle of the sand. I asked what it was going to be - a swimming pool? They said: no, we are building a marina. That was 1999, and they did it.

But if I may add: it may look simple, but it is a different model of governance. In Gulf countries, the state is an investor, and tries to creates revenue as they need to become more independent from oil and gas. This - of course - is a fundamental difference between the Middle East and Germany. where the government may provide tax frameworks or support to enable companies to grow. When it comes to technology, and how rapidly AI companies are growing, the question is whether we as a state should invest more directly, and participate rather than merely subsidize.

Christian Kaspar: So we have discussed geopolitics and geopolitical dynamics, cybersecurity, tech innovation. Perhaps as a positive outlook to close: you mentioned the potential of AI in medicine, in education, in access to information globally. But what would be your personal outlook? What is the biggest positive technology impact you expect in the next ten years?

Constantin Schreiber: As I have already said, I am very tech-positive. I also believe in a kind of human checks and balances. Even the invention of the wheel did not come without problems. But human beings have so far always managed to deal with challenges and find solutions.

So I am fairly optimistic that we will manage this transition as well. The speed at which my twelve-year-old daughter navigates technology is incredible. She does not have her own phone, but when she uses mine for five or ten minutes a day, she moves through it at a speed that is beyond anything I can match. And I am not bad at it myself, given that it is part of my job. Sometimes we have discussions about screen time versus reading a book. But at the same time, I think: this is a skill she is developing, and it might be very valuable for her future.