Episode 06 Regulating the Future: Innovation, AI, and Global Tech Power
Episode Description:
What does it mean to innovate with principle in a world of complexity, volatility, and accelerating change? This week, we spoke with Anu Bradford, Professor of Law and Director of European Legal Studies Center at Columbia Law School.
In this episode of Nordic Visionaries, Anu brings a timely and thought-provoking perspective on the intersection of innovation, regulation, and sustainability. Known globally for her work on EU law and digital regulation, and as the author of The Brussels Effect and Digital Empires, Anu offers an insider’s view on how the Nordics and Europe are navigating the fast-evolving tech landscape.
Together, they explore the mounting pressure on companies to adapt to shifting political and economic forces while staying true to their foundational values. From EU regulation and AI governance to geopolitical realignment and sustainability commitments, the conversation tackles the opportunities and tradeoffs innovators must grapple with today.
Anu also highlights the need for disruptive innovation that improves lives, not just profits, and calls attention to the power of Nordic leadership to set global examples through clear values, pragmatism, and social trust. Whether you are a tech founder, policymaker, or corporate leader, this episode challenges you to consider what you build and why you make it.
So, how do we define meaningful innovation at this moment? And what kind of future are we shaping when we choose to balance progress with principle?
About our Nordic Visionary
Name: Anu Bradford
Title: Professor of Law, Director of European Legal Studies Center
Company: Columbia Law School
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Anu Bradford is Henry L. Moses Professor of Law and International Organizations at Columbia Law School. She is also a director for Columbia’s European Legal Studies Center and a Senior Scholar at Jerome A. Chazen Institute for Global Business at Columbia Business School.
She is an expert on European Union law, digital regulation, international trade law, and comparative and international antitrust law. Bradford is the author of “The Brussels Effect: How the European Union Rules the World” (OUP 2020), which was named one of the Best Books of 2020 by Foreign Affairs. Her most recent book “Digital Empires: The Global Battle to Regulate Technology” was published by Oxford University Press in September 2023. It was recognized as one of the best books of 2023 by Financial Times and awarded the 2024 Stein Rokkan Prize for Comparative Social Science Research.
