On October 9, 2025, the panel discussion “AI Ecosystems – Innovations and Synergies between Luxembourg and Belgium” brought together a distinguished group of panelists — Thierry Geerts (CEO of Beci, Brussels Chamber of Commerce and former Country Director Google Belux), Bert Verdonck (CEO of the Luxembourg National Data Service (LNDS), Rika Nakazawa 中澤里華, Msc.(Chief Commercial Innovation at NTT DATA), Karen Boers (Managing Director of the FARI - AI for the Common Good Institute), and Jonathan Neubourg (Chief Digital Data & AI Officer at Belfius) — along with business leaders and AI enthusiasts, moderated by Marc de Bourcy, Special Adviser at the Directorate for Foreign Trade and Investment Promotion, MAE, Luxembourg, to explore how AI is transforming businesses, industries, and cross-border collaboration.

Our discussion focused on three key dimensions:

• Innovation – Real-world applications of AI, from process optimization to emerging generative systems, and the importance of quality data and workforce upskilling.
• Safety & Ethics – Transparency, accountability, and human-centric governance are essential for trust and sustainable adoption.
• Autonomy & Competitiveness – Europe’s digital sovereignty must go hand-in-hand with global cooperation to stay agile, innovative, and competitive in the AI and quantum era.

A heartfelt thank-you to all our panelists for their invaluable insights and inspiring perspectives, our moderator for guiding such a rich discussion, Rik Vandenberghe, President of the BCBL, for supporting this event, H.E. Ambassador Jean-Louis Thill for kindly hosting us at the Residence, and to our event partner, the FARI - AI for the Common Good Institute, for their collaboration.

Photo credit: Sylvain Crasset / BCBL