Welcome Speech Green Tales Forum & Concert - Alexandre Leforestier, CEO and founder of Panodyssey

Ladies and Gentlemen,

This evening, here in Brussels, at the very heart of Europe’s cultural and political life, we are not simply gathered to present a project.

We are here to affirm a conviction that will shape Europe’s digital future in the years to come.

Artificial intelligence must not erase authors.

AI must not dull the minds of our children.

It must prove that it respects them.

It must contribute to awakening consciousness, not numbing it.

Technological innovation can,and must remain profoundly human.

It must serve culture, protect creators, and strengthen Europe’s cultural sovereignty.

Allow me first to warmly thank the Instituto Cervantes of Brussels for welcoming us into this emblematic space of European cultural dialogue.

At Panodyssey, our European odyssey began in 2022 at the Instituto Cervantes in Madrid. Being here today, in Brussels, carries deep symbolic meaning. It reflects our commitment to weaving a new digital fabric, one that reconciles ethics and technology, built upon what is most precious in each of our nations: our languages, our texts, our writers.

We also wish to express our sincere gratitude to the Creative Europe Innovation Lab programme of the European Commission for its support of our CREA and CREA Trust AI initiatives since 2022.

This support has transformed a vision — that of an ethical, European digital space — into concrete, measurable innovations, designed to foster awareness, trust, and what we might call digital peace.

I would like to offer special thanks to former Commissioner Mariya Gabriel, now Deputy Director-General for Communication and Information at UNESCO, for her decisive commitment to culture, innovation, and the creative industries. I also extend my regards to Glenn Micallef, Commissioner for Intergenerational Fairness, Youth, Culture and Sport.

We are living at a pivotal moment.

Europe is building a framework around artificial intelligence, transparency, and respect for authors’ rights.

This framework is not a constraint. It is a condition of trust, and therefore of transparency and truth.

It is also a condition for cultural sovereignty and economic competitiveness in a world where digital technologies sit at the heart of social, economic, and geopolitical balances. The digital sphere is strategic. Our attention, is one of the most precious resources of our time. Please, take care of it.

At Panodyssey, we have chosen to design tools, algorithms, and interfaces that enhance creative thinking and nurture the reader’s imagination. From the very beginning, we have placed the quality of exchanges, the protection of audiences, and the recognition of authors at the core of our model.

Our conviction is simple.

Europe’s digital space must not resemble a Wild West.

It must reflect the richness, diversity, and complementarity of the 27 nations that make up the European Union.

It must allow our languages, our foundational texts, and our writers to shine.

It is in this spirit that we will present this evening a new initiative designed to better recognise and protect intellectual property in texts and images, including song lyrics, through an AI Transparency Notice.

This work forms part of a broader vision, which will be introduced through a partial reading of our 2026 Manifesto, dedicated to words, music, and the fundamental role of authors.

We will also be pleased to unveil the new services of the Panodyssey Security offering, because security in the digital space is now just as essential as security in the public space for all generations.

At Panodyssey, we have made ethics and transparency a source of competitive strength and differentiation.

Tonight, we mark the closing chapter of Green Tales, a European, intergenerational journey that embodies this vision: children, teachers, artists, and cultural institutions working together to create, to transmit, and to protect.

We warmly thank the Spanish news agency, Agencia EFE for its work in bringing this project to light, the International Yehudi Menuhin Foundation, Marianne Poncelet, Bianca Rubino, and all the partners, artists, and children who took part in this collective adventure.

This evening, we are doing more than celebrating a project.

We are affirming that a digital Europe which creates, protects, and shares its culture is possible.

We are affirming that technology can truly serve humanity.

And we are affirming that Panodyssey is a European actor in this transformation.

Without further ado, I am pleased to invite Imane Tamli to introduce the next sequence.

Thank you for your attention, and enjoy the journey.