On Friday 5 December, nearly 500 participants gathered at Ecolys, in the two vast halls of the Cercle de Wallonie Bruxelles, for an unprecedented conference dedicated to artificial intelligence. Organised by the Centre Jean Gol, this marathon day brought together more than 40 speakers of international standing, from ministers to entrepreneurs, university professors to executives of technology giants (Microsoft, Google, etc.), as well as experts.
Over 10 consecutive hours, 8 successive panels explored every dimension of the AI revolution: finance, health, SMEs, administration, defence and cybersecurity, education, geopolitics, and finally ethics and the future.
In his address, Centre Jean Gol and MR President Georges-Louis Bouchez pointed out that AI should be neither feared nor worshipped, but understood, mastered and democratised, so as to turn it into an opportunity rather than a risk we simply endure.
According to him, AI is "a major industrial revolution, certainly the most important in the history of humanity". This statement emerged reinforced by the 10 hours of debate. All the speakers, from the most optimistic to the most critical, converged on this point: we are witnessing a systemic transformation of the economy, employment, governance and society as a whole.
The ambition of this conference is to bring the topic into the public debate, but also into the political debate, so that we can make the right decisions. Decisions, he explains, that do not consist of "piling law upon law and restricting creativity", but rather of "making the best possible use of these advantages".He wants a genuine political roadmap so that Belgium and Europe embrace AI, not as spectators, but as players in control of their own destiny. That is why he announced the publication of two studies by the Centre Jean Gol on the subject and the adoption of some fifteen policy measures on AI.
Watch his speech belowThe President raised a dimension often overlooked in AI debates: its strategic use by the State itself. At a time when public spending is under close scrutiny, AI offers concrete levers: centralising and processing far more information than before, allowing a more complete view of social needs; more precisely targeting people who genuinely need help, reducing public waste; identifying those cheating access to social benefits, strengthening fairness; and evaluating the real effectiveness of public policies, a "major gap" in governance according to Georges-Louis Bouchez. "Today, we don't evaluate public policies. With AI, we will be able to do so with far greater precision."
AI is not just a commercial tool, but an instrument for better public management: spending better, not by adding bureaucratic controls, but by using intelligent technological tools.
At the heart of his speech lies a fundamental humanist principle: "A machine or technology will never take the place of a human being. Technology will above all relieve us of the most tedious tasks and free up time for us to carry out other tasks and improve our quality of life."
This statement demystifies a central fear: that of being replaced by the machine. The President turns the perspective around by pointing out that every human being instinctively never delegates the things they are passionate about. "You will never delegate to an AI a dinner with someone you enjoy being with. You will never delegate the reading of a book you're passionate about. You will never delegate the staging of a show."
But where AI brings true liberation is by taking on the tasks we dread: bureaucracy, data entry, repetitive administrative processes. It is an emancipatory vision of technology, not one of servitude.
Because AI must not replace human beings, but enhance their potential, allowing them to focus on what really matters: relationships, creativity, decision-making, care.
In healthcare in particular: faced with recurring staff shortages, AI offers a way to free professionals from administrative tasks so they can devote more time to patients, that crucial factor in patient care. It is a response to budgetary pressures in the sector: rather than massively hiring new staff, it increases the productivity of existing ones.
In the justice system, the same logic applies: speeding up procedures, optimising working methods, making them more efficient. Court delays that drag on for years could be significantly reduced.
Georges-Louis Bouchez then used an unexpected and delightful example to illustrate the transformative power of AI: Union Saint-Gilloise. This Belgian club has dominated Belgian football for years, not through a huge budget, but by using algorithms and AI to manage a digital player portfolio. Here's how it works: Union changes a large part of its team every year. No other club can do this while remaining competitive. AI is the key: the club has a massive database containing the characteristics of thousands of potential players. When a player leaves, AI instantly suggests candidates with the required characteristics. USG's success has been so impressive that it has even influenced betting odds. "Union Saint-Gilloise changes a large part of its team every year and yet manages to dominate. No football club can do that. And they do it thanks to artificial intelligence."
This concrete example from football shows that mastering AI can transform any sector, from sports management to public services. It is a lesson in competitiveness: whoever masters AI can achieve more with less, better identify talent, and anticipate needs.
For the President, the real challenge is Europe's technological sovereignty. "The real societal challenge of artificial intelligence is that mastering this technology is a matter of sovereignty for the European Union."
Either Europe imports technologies from abroad (placing itself in a position of strategic dependence), or it shines on the rest of the world thanks to mastering technologies that others will have to buy from it.
This is not just an economic issue. It is a matter of well-being, development, and freedom of decision. A technologically dependent Europe becomes a Europe that is subject to the technological decisions of other powers (the United States, China), both in terms of regulation and access to technologies and data.
Conversely, a Europe that masters AI will be able to impose its own standards (ethical, security, data protection), create jobs and value by exporting its solutions, and remain autonomous in its political and social choices.