Michiel Bakker

Assistant Professor | MIT | AI Researcher at DeepMind / Co-author of Europe 2031

@bakkermichiel

2 episodes · 1 moment · last on 15 Sept 2026

15 Sept 2026Global AI Slowdown | Dario’s Essay | Europe’s AI Response | UK Gov AI Pause

1:06:46

17 Jun 2026Fable 5 Recall, EU’s AI Plan, UK Ban U16 Socials, Le Chaton Fat, Hex Sponsor etn

49:4616 min

Michael Backer: Europe 2031 & the AI Compute Gap

Michael Backer, DeepMind researcher and MIT professor and co-author of the viral Europe 2031 piece, explains why Europe must wake up: 75% of AI compute sits in the US versus 5% in Europe. He lays out the piece's prescriptions — massive data center buildout, nurturing the semiconductor ecosystem around ASML, and a 'middle power coalition' with countries like Korea, Japan, the UK, Australia and Canada to create leverage over frontier-model access. He describes the overwhelming reception, including a Dutch minister and a head of state who gave his staff 45 minutes to extract the key parts.