China is becoming the dominant force in artificial intelligence (AI), Web Summit founder Paddy Cosgrave told CGTN at the 2025 Web Summit in Lisbon.

"AI is certainly the dominant theme. We have a lot of Chinese AI companies here at a European tech conference, maybe the largest tech conference in the world," said Cosgrave.

He stated in his opening speech at the 2025 Web Summit on Monday that the center of innovation is no longer in Europe or the United States, but in new regions, especially China, according to Portuguese newspaper Publico.

He said that in the coming days, the world's most advanced humanoid robots would be showcased at the Web Summit, and that they would not be European or American, but Chinese.

He also noted that China, which just a decade ago was viewed as a follower of Western trends, has now become the driving force behind global technological innovation. Cosgrave recalled that Chinese AI models are open source and freely available, and as Nvidia's CEO said, they are likely to win the AI race.

Cosgrave also looked within the Europe, where he sees clear signs of change. He revealed that for the first time, the number of German startups at Web Summit has decreased, but the number of startups from Poland has reached a record high. In Cosgrave's view, this shift within Europe reflects a broader global redistribution of entrepreneurial energy.

"This year, more than any year before, it's clear that the era of Western tech dominance is fading," said Cosgrave. He added that there is a new generation of startups emerging across the Middle East, Africa, Central Asia, India and Vietnam, according to Publico.

Many summit attendees also reflected on China's climb towards tech dominance.

"Half the world's computer scientists and computer engineers who are on the frontier of these technologies are in China," Rev Lebaredian, Nvidia's vice-president of simulation technology, told AFP.

The 2025 Web Summit in Lisbon takes place from Monday to Thursday, bringing together tech entrepreneurs, investors and thought leaders from around the world for in-depth discussions on cutting-edge fields such as AI, robotics and quantum technology. The event is expected to welcome more than 70,000 attendees, including 2,500 startups and 1,000 investors, according to the organizers.