Von der Leyen Wants AI as Aleph Alpha Goes to Cohere
The Commission president promised responsible AI with lower energy use in her State of the Union address; the same day, a German AI champion changed hands.
In short
In her State of the Union address on September 16, 2026, Ursula von der Leyen committed the EU to building AI that people still control, promising sector initiatives for five industries from November while leaving the technology's energy and water footprint unaddressed.
At a glance
- State of the Union address, September 16, 2026: Europe wants AI — more responsible, at lower cost and lower energy use.
- From November 2026: AI initiatives for five sectors — health, transport, agriculture, manufacturing, defense and space.
- A Quality Jobs Act is due by the end of 2026, plus an EU Kids Act with age checks for social networks.
- The same day, Canada's Cohere acquired Heidelberg-based Aleph Alpha; no purchase price was disclosed.
- Germany and Canada are setting up an alliance for technological sovereignty.
Artificial intelligence took up a large share of Ursula von der Leyen's State of the Union address on September 16, 2026. Europe wants AI, the Commission president said — AI that creates more value, costs less, uses less energy, and keeps humans in control.
Five sectors and a legislative queue
Starting in November, the Commission plans to present industrial AI initiatives in five areas: health, transport, agriculture and food, advanced manufacturing, and defense and space. Von der Leyen framed the AI Act as a building block rather than an obstacle. A Quality Jobs Act addressing what AI does to work is promised by the end of the year, and an EU Kids Act would add age verification for social networks.
Control is the through-line
The speech named concrete risks, including AI agents escaping their environment or injecting malicious code. Von der Leyen said she would meet representatives of frontier AI labs and pointed to cooperation with partners such as Canada and the United Kingdom. How much of the development pace Brussels can actually steer was left open.
The gap: energy and water
netzpolitik.org argues the address kept two things apart that belong together: a newly announced European water initiative and the water and power demand of AI infrastructure. The site also notes that the benefits of AI land unevenly across skill levels, and that entry-level jobs for younger workers are under pressure. Parts of the industry, meanwhile, keep pushing self-regulation over new rules.
Sovereignty, tested the same day
While sovereignty was the theme in the chamber, an ownership change was announced in Montreal: Canadian AI firm Cohere is taking over Aleph Alpha of Heidelberg. The announcement came at the All In conference from Canadian digital minister Evan Solomon, German digital minister Karsten Wildberger, Cohere CEO Aidan Gomez and Aleph Alpha co-founder Samuel Weinbach. The stated goal is a Canadian-German technology champion able to compete seriously with US providers such as OpenAI and Anthropic, backed by a German-Canadian alliance for technological sovereignty.
What is not yet known
Gomez conceded the combined company has ground to make up on model quality and needs to invest in scaling. No purchase price was disclosed, and the sources we could read give no figures on sites, headcount or the integration timeline. One further account of the two executives' plans was not retrievable for this story and is therefore not reflected here. The first real test of the Commission's course arrives in November with the sector initiatives.
FAQ
What did von der Leyen say about AI in the 2026 State of the Union?
She endorsed AI for Europe but asked for lower costs, lower energy use and human control, and announced industrial AI initiatives for five sectors starting in November.
Which AI-related laws is the EU Commission still planning for 2026?
A Quality Jobs Act on the labor effects of AI is promised by year-end, along with an EU Kids Act introducing age checks for social networks; the AI Act is already law.
Who acquired Aleph Alpha?
Canadian AI company Cohere is acquiring Heidelberg-based Aleph Alpha. The deal was announced in Montreal on September 16, 2026, and no purchase price was disclosed.
