The advantages that companies get from opting into A1 now and learning how it can bring businesses forward will pay off in the future, said Warnking, who was speaking at the German Chamber of Commerce Summit in Warsaw.

“This part of Europe has led the continent in terms of industrial growth. For this advantage to continue, the region has to embrace AI,” he said, adding that there are now 50 Unicorn companies, which have achieved billion-dollar valuations, in the region.

“When I started my career in banking decades ago, someone took me aside for two hours and taught me how to write macros for spreadsheets. That massively increased my productivity.

“The same is true now,” the tech company executive continued. “If I don't find four hours a week to learn what AI tools can do, I will quickly fall out of the market.”

The challenge is not reinventing large language models, according to Warnking, as 15-20 global firms have a massive advantage. It is more a question of learning how to use and create new applications.