Digital Revolution, Economic Upheaval
The digital revolution is profoundly shaking up the economy, with the impact felt well beyond the digital sector itself. Indeed, it is transforming the very concept of value creation. Artificial intelligence represents a new phase that requires a colossal investment in physical infrastructure like data centers. Europe failed to grasp the scale of these changes in time, but it does have certain advantages.
Hugo Le Picard is an Associate Research Fellow at Ifri's Center for Geopolitics of Technology, holds a PhD in economics from PSL University and is a tech entrepreneur.
This article is available in French only and has been published in Politique étrangère, vol. 91, n° 1, 2026.
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Digital Revolution, Economic Upheaval
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