Airbus for AI: A Global Strategy for Public Value Creation
A policy brief proposing a Public AI Company: a coordinated public-private partnership among middle powers, modelled on Airbus, to build frontier AI that serves shared economic and security interests.
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Artificial intelligence is becoming central to economic productivity and national sovereignty, but its frontier development is concentrated in a few dominant US and Chinese firms. Middle powers like Canada, Germany, Japan, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, and the UK have struggled to field competitive AI products despite substantial public and private investment.
Airbus, originally developed by a set of middle powers to compete in aerospace, provides a successful example of an international public-private collaboration. This policy brief proposes a Public AI Company inspired by such models: a coordinated public-private partnership that ensures AI development serves shared public value while having a credible business model and a pathway to scale in global markets.
Written with Joshua Tan, Brandon Jackson, and Diane Coyle, and published by the Bennett School of Public Policy at the University of Cambridge as part of the Public AI effort.
Authors: Robin Berjon