France is staking its claim as an AI powerhouse. At the AI Action Summit in Paris this week, global leaders, tech innovators, and policymakers converged to chart the future of artificial intelligence - backed by major investments and bold ambitions for Europe’s leadership in the field. RFI breaks down the key takeaways.
French President Emmanuel Macron made waves this week by unveiling a massive €109 billion investment plan aimed at bolstering AI infrastructure within France.
The proposal focuses on the development of computing clusters and data centres – a strategic move to strengthen Europe's competitive stance in the global AI industry.
Taking to the podium at Paris' Grand Palais, Macron emphasised that this investment would ensure France's position as a key player in the AI revolution, fostering an environment where innovation will thrive.
In parallel with national efforts, the European Union unveiled the InvestAI initiative – a pioneering €200 billion plan aimed at driving AI development across Europe.
This programme includes a €50 billion commitment from the EU, complemented by some €150 billion from private investors.
A key feature of InvestAI is the establishment of AI 'gigafactories' – massive infrastructure projects aimed at facilitating open and collaborative AI model development.
European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen highlighted the initiative's goal, stating, "We want AI to be a force for good and for growth. This unique public-private partnership, akin to a CERN for AI, will enable all our scientists and companies...to develop the most advanced very large models needed to make Europe an AI continent".
Macron announces €109 bn investments in AI as leaders, tech giants meet in Paris
Mistral AI
Further cementing France's presence on the global AI stage, French startup Mistral AI introduced Le Chat – an AI assistant capable of processing up to 1,000 words per second.
Its launch signals a new chapter in the development of AI in Europe, demonstrating that EU companies are poised to challenge Silicon Valley's dominance in the sector.
Laure de Roucy-Rochegonde, director of the Geopolitics in Technology centre at the IFRI foreign relations think-tank, spoke to RFI about Mistral AI's significance in the global AI race, particularly when compared to China's DeepSeek: "It's a French start-up that has a lot of support from the French government and during the [European Union's] AI Act negotiations, France wanted to protect this French nugget.
Mistral AI's approach closely mirrors DeepSeek's—both being open-source—making them more resource-efficient in training and deploying models.
"I've seen comparisons made – particularly on the generation of lines of computer code between ChatGPT and DeepSeek ...Le Chat was obviously very well positioned [at the summit] ... it offered more efficient responses, was faster and consumed less energy. But we'll have to see how it progresses and how widely it's adopted," de Roucy-Rochegonde added.
US's Vance warns Europe on AI overreach, slams China’s tech crackdown at Paris summit
US critical of AI regulation
While the summit celebrated Europe's AI advancements, it also exposed rifts in global AI governance.
Representing the United States, Vice President JD Vance voiced concerns over excessive AI regulation, arguing that stringent policies could stifle innovation.
He stressed the economic potential of AI and advocated for a more flexible regulatory approach to maintain the US's competitive edge.
"AI is the engine of future economic growth," Vance remarked. "We cannot afford to overregulate and cede leadership to our competitors."
In a move that underscored these divergent perspectives, both the US and the UK opted not to sign a declaration endorsed by around 60 countries – including China, India, and Germany.
The non-binding agreement aims to ensure AI technology remains "safe, secure, and trustworthy".
For De Roucy-Rochegonde, the US stance on not signing the declaration was to be expected "because the vocabulary used to discuss 'inclusive and sustainable AI' is not in the current administration's list of priorities.
"In the United States, they have the oligarchs ... big tech bosses pushing an agenda that is both very anti-regulation and very anti-European. Once again, Vance attacked European regulations head-on".
The UK's position was more unexpected: "The Bletchley Park AI Safety summit – which was organised by the UK in November 2023 – resulted in a declaration that went roughly in the same direction," she explains.
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The race for 'prestige'
Nevertheless, the absence of the US and UK as signatories to the Paris AI Action declaration "is a slap in the face for French diplomacy", the IFRI specialist remarked. "Especially since the Elysée intended to have an alliance of democracies supporting a text, reaffirming the importance of having a human rights-centred approach for the development of AI".
De Roucy-Rochegonde regards their refusal to sign as "emblematic of international tensions and the difficulties that multilateralism faces at the moment".
Looking to the future, the race for artificial intelligence has both an economic and highly symbolic dimensions, "reminiscent of Star Wars during the Cold War," she says.
During the Cold War "the aim was to be the first to master rockets. Going to the moon. So it was a race for prestige.
"It's no coincidence that Donald Trump has called this grand plan Stargate ... in reference to Reagan's Star Wars. So we can expect artificial intelligence to continue to play a major role in international competition ... and international tension".
