Nine out of 10 executives surveyed would favor tech suppliers that come from their country and about half would make nationality a decisive factor in their choice.
Those are some of the findings from VivaTech’s 2026 Confidence Barometer report, which surveyed more than 1,500 executives in Europe and the U.S. American and British executives were more keen on nationality – both at 57% in favor – compared to their European counterparts.
“American and British executives consider the nationality of their tech supplier to be essential, while most Europeans consider it a ‘plus’. This divergence is not anecdotal; it reveals two visions of sovereignty, one ‘de facto’ and the other ‘contradictory’,” said Francois Bitouzet, CEO of VivaTech, in the report. “In response to this, we are seeing a real acceleration in Europe on tech issues, with investments in AI and cybersecurity becoming a priority.”
The report also showed that 63% of executives overall said they are worried about loss of sovereignty that comes with technological progress.
Overall confidence in new technologies rose to 89 out of a 100-point index, up from 87 in the prior year. Nearly nine in 10 executives said their view of technology’s role in competitiveness has improved, and 89% said they trust AI to help guide company decisions.
However, 39% of all executives admitted they have already shared company information with AI tools they did not fully trust.
American executives are the most enthusiastic about their country’s tech competitiveness (92%) but European countries are closing the gap. The U.K. is at 90% while France added 12 percentage points to reach 81%. Spain saw an 11-percentage point increase to 81%. Italy’s confidence was up 11 percentage points as well, to 75%. Only Germany saw no increase, holding at 79%.
Investment plans remain strong. AI and cybersecurity lead both current and future spending, with 87% planning to increase AI investment and 77% planning to boost cybersecurity budgets.
Eight out of 10 executives don’t see an AI bubble forming, with only 17% overall expressing such fears. The survey reported that the French are more pessimistic at 30%. The vast majority (92%) of executives are confident AI will not lead to layoffs over the next 12 months.