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TECNOLOGY leaders and researchers warned that artificial intelligence (AI) is advancing faster than governance frameworks and infrastructure, calling for stronger oversigh t, accountability and investment as industries adapt to the technology’s rapid expansion.
Speaking during discussions reported by Mobile World Live at the Mobile World Congress held in Barcelona from March 2-6, executives from telecommunications, software and gaming companies said AI is transforming sectors from health care to network operations while introducing new risks and policy challenges.
AI growth outpacing oversight
Azeem Azhar, founder of research platform Exponential View, described AI development as reaching a major inflection point as computing power improves and costs continue to decline.
“It gets cheaper and cheaper and cheaper every year,” Azhar said, adding that falling costs are driving surging demand for machine intelligence.
Industry executives said the technology’s potential impact is particularly evident in health care.
Andrew Feinberg, co-founder and chief executive of Netcracker, said AI could accelerate diagnosis, enable personalized treatments and streamline drug discovery, potentially improving medical outcomes worldwide.
“At scale, the impact is measured in millions of lives. This is medicine entering its intelligent era,” Feinberg said.
The same technological shift is also reshaping telecommunications networks. With massive volumes of operational and behavioral data generated across networks, AI can help operators interpret data in real time, enabling predictive maintenance and stronger cybersecurity defenses.
However, Feinberg cautioned that embedding AI systems in critical infrastructure introduces new risks.
In sectors such as medicine and communications networks, failures could have real-world consequences, making governance and oversight essential.
Creative industries seek balance
The debate over AI adoption is also extending beyond infrastructure and health care to the creative industries.
Johanna Faries, chief executive of video game developer Blizzard, said companies must balance the benefits of automation with the need to preserve human creativity in areas such as game development.
She said organizations must consider how technological innovation affects artistic processes and ensure that safety, security and governance remain central as AI tools become part of development pipelines.
Europe pushes for digital sovereignty
Telecom leaders at the event also warned that geopolitical competition in technology is intensifying, with Europe at risk of falling behind the United States and China.
Executives from Deutsche Telekom, Telefonica and satellite operator Eutelsat argued that Europe must strengthen its digital sovereignty by investing in infrastructure, software platforms and industrial ecosystems.
Telefonica chairman Marc Murtra said telecom operators already sit at the center of digital infrastructure because most data flows through their networks, positioning them to support sovereignty initiatives.
But Murtra warned Europe must develop its own advanced software platforms and AI capabilities rather than relying on external providers.
He said it would be “naive” to assume that European industries would automatically gain access to advanced AI systems needed for future industrial use.
Jean-Francois Fallacher, chief executive of Eutelsat, added that fragmentation across Europe’s 27 nations complicates efforts to compete with large US and Chinese technology companies.
Without greater coordination, he said, national initiatives could weaken the region’s ability to develop large-scale technology platforms.
Deutsche Telekom chief executive Tim Hoettges said Europe also faces structural economic challenges, noting that low margins in the telecom sector limit investment capacity.
While technologies such as cloud computing, AI, semiconductor chips and connectivity are converging to enable Industry 4.0, he said the United States has already moved faster in building integrated technology ecosystems.
Accountability in agentic AI
Another theme emerging at the conference was the growing role of “agentic AI,” or systems capable of independently carrying out tasks on behalf of users.
Researchers and industry executives warned that deploying such systems without proper safeguards could create new risks.
Kate Crawford, a professor at the University of Southern California working on AI safety at Microsoft Research, said companies must ensure transparency and accountability when AI agents perform tasks for individuals or businesses.
She cited a recent example involving an AI agent that mistakenly deleted emails even after being instructed to stop.
“If she’s having problems, I think we all have to be asking, how do we make sure that these systems are really hardened?” Crawford said.
She argued that organizations deploying AI agents must implement mechanisms for task transparency, traceability and auditability so responsibility can be clearly assigned if systems fail.
Calix president and chief executive Michael Weening said AI adoption should not be framed solely around job displacement.
Instead, he said companies should treat the technology as a tool to help employees improve workflows and transform business operations.
Weening said Calix received more than 700 internal proposals from employees exploring how AI could be used within the company, with dozens already deployed.
Crawford predicted the development of agentic AI would bring both opportunities and disruptions in the coming years.
“I think it’s going to be absolutely a wild couple of years coming up,” she said.
Technology crossroads
The discussions at Mobile World Congress reflected a technology sector at a crossroads.
Executives see AI as a transformative force capable of reshaping industries and economies, but they also warned that success will depend not only on technical innovation but also on governance, infrastructure investment and international coordination.
Without those foundations, speakers cautioned, the rapid expansion of AI could outpace society’s ability to manage its consequences.
