From Blockchain to AI – and Back Again?

On 10 June 2026, I had the privilege of opening the 7th Blockchain Roundtable at the German Bundestag on behalf of the German Blockchain Association "Bundesblock".

When we founded Bundesblock in 2017 with just 23 founding members, our inaugural meeting also took place in the Bundestag. Back then, blockchain was still considered a niche topic by many. Today, Bundesblock represents more than 130 members from industry and academia.

Over the past years, the public debate has shifted significantly. Blockchain and digital assets have moved somewhat into the background, while artificial intelligence has clearly taken center stage.

But from my perspective, the most interesting question is not which technology matters more. Instead, we should focus on identifying the technological building blocks Europe needs to remain digitally sovereign.

AI and blockchain address different challenges - and that is precisely why they complement each other:

➡️ AI analyses information, supports decision-making, and automates processes.

➡️ Blockchain provides transparency, integrity, and programmable value transfer.

As AI systems become increasingly autonomous, highly deterministic blockchain infrastructures can help make those actions verifiable, trustworthy, and economically accountable. Many of the defining questions of our digital future emerge precisely at this intersection:

▪️ How do we create trustworthy data spaces for AI?

▪️ How do we prove the provenance and authenticity of digital content?

▪️ How do we organise identities in a world where not only humans but also software agents act independently?

▪️ And how do we build payment infrastructures for the age of Agentic AI?

These were exactly the topics we discussed with representatives from politics, academia, and industry.

A special highlight was the keynote by Thomas Fuerstner, who elevated the discussion to an entirely different level with his insights into the evolution of drones into perception- and action-capable machines and sensor platforms with real societal impact. Highly recommended reading once the speech is published.

Many thanks to Member of Parliament Marvin Schulz and his team for their hospitality at the German Bundestag!

❗ Digital sovereignty is not created by individual technologies. It emerges from making smart decisions about how different technologies work together.