“Following the recent Trump 2.0 election, it has become increasingly evident that Europe must regain control over its media ecosystem. Just as we defend our borders and our bodies, so too must we safeguard our minds”, asserted Erika Staël von Holstein, Chief Executive and Co-founder of Re-Imagine Europa, during the plenary session of the sixth “Siena Conference on the Europe of the Future“. Staël von Holstein opened the session “From polarisation to media as a platform for problem solving”, which examined the transformative role of AI in the media ecosystem and emphasised the media as an essential pillar of democracy. The expert urged for a profound rethinking of strategy: Instead of trying to catch up with platforms from the social media era, like creating a “European Twitter,” we should focus on building media infrastructure fit for the AI age. In a world shaped by algorithms and training data, controlling these two elements is essential. If we get this right, we can tackle the root challenges facing today’s media: who controls distribution and who controls financing.
The session was chaired by Alexandra Borchardt, Lead Author at European Broadcasting Union and Senior Research Associate at Reuters Institute; with contributions from Staël von Holstein, Dr. Francesca Traldi, Scientific Advisor at the Konrad-Adenauer-Stiftung in Italy; Anette Novak, Former Director General of the Swedish Media Council, Chair of the Royal Swedish Academy of Engineering Sciences’ division for Information Technology, and the consultant and strategist Vassilis Kessidis, founder of the European Policy Innovation Council. The panellists stressed the urgent need for a sustainable media infrastructure in Europe, one that guarantees citizens’ safety while upholding plurality, diversity, and accessibility.
Borchardt noted that while media has long used polarisation as a strategy, artificial intelligence is now dramatically reshaping the media landscape—intensifying polarisation through echo chambers and algorithm-driven reinforcement. Staël von Holstein encouraged younger generations to reimagine the existing systems through three strategic imperatives: Reframe media as a critical infrastructure rather than a mere industrial policy; establish a European Media Grid essential for media sovereignty, and leverage Europe’s diversity as a strength, instead of viewing it as a weakness. “Europe must view its media ecosystem as a critical resource central to its survival”, she emphasised.
Anette Novak raised a significant concern, noting that “a new generation is growing up with no visibility of or trust in traditional media“, in a system that “empowers the few at the expense of the many”. According to the expert, “our challenge is to preserve core democratic functions in this new environment. Regulation and today’s technologies are not enough; we must anticipate where the “ball is rolling”. Vassilis Kessidis advocated for protecting journalism as a public good rather than a product, along with building new public infrastructures to serve civic media. He remarked that “basic agreement on facts is becoming rare—fuelling public fatigue”. This sentiment was echoed by Francesca Traldi, who stated, “Communication has radically changed, she said, and so must our strategies. It’s now harder to distinguish between genuine messages and disinformation, especially with the rise of AI”. “Regulatory solutions alone are insufficient“, she cautioned.
The impact of AI in Europe’s industrial and media ecosystem was further explored by Maria João Rodrigues, President of FEPS and Chairwoman of Re-Imagine Europa, who defined Artificial Intelligence as “the new frontier that will determine the future” for Europe and the world, with significant implications for public policies. Among the critical issues to consider, she highlighted the need for strategies to facilitate a smooth transition to the labour market, empower technology to address challenges facing marginalized communities, ensure that AI and machine learning serve the public good, and identify the skills required for this fourth industrial revolution.
The conference has been organised by Vision Think Tank together with the European University Institute and the Università di Siena and with the collaboration of researchers at the Warsaw Institute, Bruegel – Improving economic policy, IEP@BU – Institute for European Policymaking at Bocconi University and Luiss Business School. Hosted in Siena, a historical symbol of European unity, the conference brings together top policymakers, academics, journalists, and entrepreneurs from across the continent to address some of the toughest questions facing the EU. The panels ranged from trade and defense to industrial policy, green transformation, the EU budget and AI.
