OpenAI’s “next chapter for AI in the EU” introduces the EU Economic Blueprint 2.0, an SME AI Accelerator to train 20,000 small firms, a €500,000 grant for youth safety research, and expanded government partnerships via OpenAI for Europe—aimed at closing Europe’s AI “capability overhang” and accelerating responsible adoption.

The headline shift: from AI potential to widespread use

OpenAI has set out a practical plan to help Europe turn AI potential into everyday productivity. Its EU Economic Blueprint 2.0 combines new usage data with concrete programmes designed to raise adoption among small businesses and public institutions, while reinforcing trust and safety for younger users. The goal: reduce Europe’s capability overhang and convert latent model capability into real-world impact.

What the new data says

OpenAI’s usage analysis suggests the EU already uses 17% more “thinking capabilities” than the global average—yet the gap between EU countries is wide, with nine Member States still below the global mean. Power users consume far more advanced capabilities than typical users, underlining a skills and adoption challenge rather than a model capability problem.

The SME AI Accelerator

To address the adoption gap where it’s most acute, OpenAI will train 20,000 SMEs across France, Germany, Italy, Poland, Ireland and the UK. Expect in-person workshops and virtual sessions hosted via OpenAI Academy, with a focus on practical use cases that improve day-to-day workflows—content, research, data analysis and basic automation—so teams can realise value quickly.

Responsible adoption: youth safety & wellbeing

Trust remains a prerequisite for mainstream AI in Europe. Alongside safety investments and its commitment around the EU AI Act’s Code of Practice, OpenAI is launching a €500,000 Youth Safety & Wellbeing Grant for NGOs and researchers focused on child protection, digital wellbeing and evidence-based approaches to online safety.

Deeper country partnerships: OpenAI for Europe

OpenAI will expand OpenAI for Europe, a regional version of its government partnerships, supporting national priorities in education, health, skills and certifications, disaster response, cybersecurity and startup acceleration. This builds on existing efforts—such as education pilots and sovereign infrastructure collaborations—aimed at accelerating adoption while respecting local policy goals.

Policy levers to watch

The Blueprint recommends that policymakers:

• Establish AI-in-education frameworks;

• Create portable AI skills accreditation;

• Measure adoption and usage at national and sector levels to track progress over time.
  For leaders, the immediate takeaway is to pair bottom-up experimentation with top-down skills pathways and measurement.

What this means for UK & EU organisations

• Skills first: Prioritise role-based training that maps to common workflows (marketing, operations, customer service).

• Prove value with SMEs: Use the accelerator content as a model—pilot “quick win” use cases, then scale.

• Trust-by-design: For youth-facing or public-sector services, incorporate safety reviews, age-appropriate guardrails and transparent data practices.

• Measure adoption: Track usage depth (not just licences) to reduce your internal “capability overhang.”

Bottom line: The 2026 agenda moves beyond model headlines to skills, safety and measurable adoption—precisely where Europe can close the gap fastest.

FAQ

Q1. What is OpenAI’s EU Economic Blueprint 2.0?
A set of data, recommendations and initiatives to accelerate responsible AI adoption across Europe, focused on skills, SMEs and public-sector partnerships.

Q2. What’s in the SME AI Accelerator?
Training for 20,000 SMEs in six countries, delivered via in-person workshops and OpenAI Academy, to help small firms apply AI to everyday work.

Q3. How is youth safety being funded?
Through a €500,000 Youth Safety & Wellbeing Grant for NGOs and researchers working on child protection and digital wellbeing.

Q4. What is “capability overhang”?
The gap between what frontier models can do and how much people and organisations are actually using them—seen by OpenAI as Europe’s primary challenge.

Q5. How will governments engage?
Via OpenAI for Europe, supporting national priorities including education, health, skills/certifications, disaster response, cybersecurity and startups.