On February 10 and 11, 2025, the spotlight will be on Paris for the Summit for Action on Artificial Intelligence (AI). The event aims to extend the discussions initiated during the summits in Bletchley Park, in November 2023, and in Seoul, in May 2024, to “create a collective movement” around global issues on AI, indicates the Élysée. The environmental impact of AI, its accessibility and global governance will be the main topics discussed during this event to which Donald Trump and Elon Musk have already been invited. In total, around a hundred heads of state and 700 stakeholders (companies, NGOs, research institutes, etc.) are expected on this occasion.
To prepare for this summit, Emmanuel Macron surrounded himself with a team led by special envoy Anne Bouverot, former director general of the GSMA, the global association of mobile telecommunications operators, and current president of the board of directors of the École Normale Supérieure. She founded the Abeona Foundation to promote responsible AI and co-chairs the AI & Society Institute in Paris.
Around her, there are five thematic envoys to work on five key areas of the summit: AI serving the public interest, the future of work, innovation and culture, trusted AI and global AI governance. Among these envoys, we find well-known figures from the tech ecosystem in France. Thus, Roxanne Varza, the director of Station F, takes care of the theme dedicated to innovation and culture, while Guillaume Poupard, director general of Anssi, the French national cybersecurity agency, from 2014 to 2022, and current deputy general director of Décapote, the digital finale of La Poste, is dedicated to the subject of trusted AI.
The Grand Palais, nerve center of the summit
Two months before the event, we now know the main outlines of its organization. Even before the official start of the summit, France will switch to “AI mode” from February 6 and 7, which will be scientific days for researchers and economists. The Élysée assures that Nobel and Turing prizes will be present for the occasion. On February 8 and 9, cultural days will take over with “many events open to the public”indicates the Presidency of the Republic. This will be an opportunity to raise awareness among as many people as possible of the issues raised by AI in art and culture.
February 10 will be the official kickoff of the summit. This will take place at the Grand Palais, a stone's throw from the Élysée in Paris. Nearly a thousand participants (heads of state, researchers, business leaders, artists, journalists, etc.) are expected. “It will be a kind of hive”assure Emmanuel Macron’s teams. Under the glass roof of the Grand Palais, workshops and conferences will be held to discuss topics on AI around the five major themes selected upstream. This day will conclude with a dinner at the Élysée with the most emblematic personalities in AI and heads of state. The latter will meet as a select committee during a special AI summit on February 11. At the same time, a “Business Day” will be organized for companies during this day.
“It will truly be global AI week in Paris”
At the end of the summit, initiatives could be announced, but it is unlikely that investments in AI will be revealed on this occasion. “The idea is not to cannibalize yourself with Choose France, an event reserved for announcements of major foreign investments in France”specifies the Élysée.
Still, Paris and France will vibrate to the rhythm of AI for six consecutive days next February. “It will truly be global AI week in Paris. It will put France on the global map of the sector”estimate the services of the President of the Republic. France already has a special place on the global AI scene, with gems like Mistral AI, the laboratories of American digital giants, like Google and Meta, and the recent arrival of OpenAI, the company the origin of ChatGPT, in Paris.
What expectations?
Beyond making Paris the epicenter of global AI for several days, what should we expect from this summit? The Élysée assures that the event could lead to measures, such as a map, standards and tools to combat disinformation. “The idea is to have a more concrete discourse on the opportunities and risks of AI so that this leads to real measures and actions”indicate Emmanuel Macron’s teams. “We are going to give a special place to Europe at this summit. And it’s logical because we have a very important European agenda around this summit”add the latter.
Having already drawn up the AI Act, the European Union will have a lot to do in the coming years to find the right balance between innovation and regulation. “The challenge is to create unity in an increasingly fragmented framework. Some blocks isolate themselves from each other, and that is not what we want. This is one of the objectives of this summit, but we want to ensure that the dynamic continues beyond this one”indicates the Élysée. Before adding: “AI should not be seen as an elitist technology, reserved for big cities and startups.” There are just over two months left for the French AI summit to move in this direction. Several working meetings will take place between now and then to prepare for the event, notably this Friday, December 6, on the eve of the reopening of Notre-Dame de Paris Cathedral, with a handful of American entrepreneurs and researchers.
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