Over five years, the Provence-Alpes-Côte d’Azur Region’s plan for the development of AI provides, among other things, for training, the organization of events and educational tools for young people…
With the considerable advances in new technologies, the Southern Region has asked itself a question: what are, locally, the benefits and risks linked to progress in Artificial Intelligence (AI)? To answer this, she called on regional experts, academics, engineers, sociologists, etc.
70 million euros invested
From this question, and the mostly positive responses that followed, a plan was born, which the community intends to put in place over the next five years. 70 million euros will be invested, with three axes on the program: “a tool serving the population”, “making it accessible to all” et “make the South a leading AI territory”.
Concretely, what does this project involve? For the first point, it is planned that a strategic AI council will be launched in Provence-Alpes-Côte d’Azur which will work with President Renaud Muselier. Among the other elements put on the table, the adoption of a charter, experiments within the administration or even the holding of an annual competition, which would stimulate innovation.
Online courses, label, training…
To disseminate knowledge about Artificial Intelligence, the regional council wants to promote online courses to the general public and businesses, provide middle and high school students with educational tools, create a label for learning places, inject two million euros for training and organizing events.
The last theme is aimed more at researchers, as well as startups. Through these initiatives, the South Region hopes to attract new companies, including the establishment of an excellence fund, support for entrepreneurs in AI, especially in strategic sectors, and various other actions aimed at their promotion. and ease of implementation.
Stay vigilant about ethics
Through these measures, the idea is to provide solutions in several areas such as energy, education, public services or quality of life. The community specifies, however, that it intends to remain vigilant on “questions of ethics, sovereignty and job preservation“.
Among the examples of future sites dedicated to new technologies on Maralpine soil, we can cite the innovation center of the Sophia Antipolis technopole, planned for the end of 2025, or the “Lab”, a vast program of more than 6,000 square meters dedicated to high tech, located in the Méridia district of Nice. It must be delivered in 2026.
