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October 20, 2025

Can AI spark a second industrial revolution in Europe?

AI is enabling us to make more discoveries than ever before. The question is whether we can learn and profit from all of them

John Thornhill

4 min read

One of the most intriguing, and still hotly contested, questions in history is: why did the Industrial Revolution begin in 18th-century Britain? In many respects, the institutions, geography, culture and technology available in the country did not differ much from other European countries at the time.

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John Thornhill

John Thornhill is Sifted’s editorial director and cofounder. He is also innovation editor of the Financial Times, and tweets from @johnthornhillft

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