OpenAI, the company behind the wildly successful chatbot, has never hidden its intention to expand in Europe.
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OpenAI has confirmed it will open an office in Paris later this year, following reports last month, as the company attempts to establish itself in Europe, the maker of ChatGPT told Euronews Next Wednesday.
The company also said it would also open offices in Brussels, Singapore, New York and Brussels later this year.
The Californian company was propelled onto the technology scene in 2022 thanks to its generative artificial intelligence (genAI) software. The company is reportedly raising $6.5 billion (€5.8 billion) in a funding round that would value OpenAI at more than $150 billion (€134 billion).
The presence of OpenAI in France “will enable the company to better collaborate with French developers, businesses and civic organizations, to help more people, businesses and societies realize the benefits of AI”the company told Euronews Next in a statement.
“France is renowned worldwide for its innovation and leadership in technology and AI”said Sam Altman, CEO of OpenAI, in the press release.
“We are excited to open an office in Paris later this year and become part of its thriving ecosystem. With a team here, we can work closely with French companies, institutions and developers to help them achieve the benefits of AI”, he added.
OpenAI also announced on Wednesday a partnership with the French organization Simplon, which provides digital skills training and AI apprenticeship programs to disadvantaged communities.
The French company will join the OpenAI academic program, which aims to democratize access to AI technologies. As part of this program, OpenAI will provide training and technical advice to Simplon.
France’s ambition to become a technological power
OpenAI opened offices in London and Dublin last year, with the company making no secret that it was looking to strengthen its presence in Europe. She also recently hired several people based in Paris, such as Julie Lavet, to lead lobbying activities in Europe.
French President Emmanuel Macron said thathe wanted Paris(in English) passe “from the city of lights to the city of AI”.
The French government has risen to the global AI stage thanks to its initiative to support innovation and start-ups, in which the country has invested heavily since 2017.
“The opening of the OpenAI Paris office demonstrates the attractiveness of France and the quality of our talents and our researchers”declared Clara Chappaz, Secretary of State for Artificial Intelligence and Digital Affairs, in a press release.
“This choice reflects the growing dynamism of our French artificial intelligence ecosystem, which we aim to position as a world leader”.
Mistral AI(in English) is one of the French success stories. The start-up was founded in 2023 by former engineers from Meta and Google and has since raised almost 6 billion euros.
H is another Paris-based AI startup that is working on new models and whose valuation has soared. Its co-founders previously worked at Google DeepMind.
