Why France Sees Artificial Intelligence as a Business Imperative

In a sweeping bid to restore his country's image and elevate its standing in the global business community, French president Emmanuel Macron has hosted a string of international summits since taking office on issues such as tech and entrepreneurship to lure foreign investors with an overriding message: France is back. But to fuel the country's economic upswing, Macron's administration is also looking inward. Last month, it laid out a comprehensive blueprint authored by Fields Medal recipient Cedric Villani called "For a Meaningful Artificial Intelligence," which outlined a national strategy to become a leader in the field, overhaul digital innovation around AI and make sure labor-market and technological disruptions support inclusivity and diversity. "AI is not just a sector; it will shape an unprecedented transformation of society and the economy, and we're very proud to be ushering in a new AI era for France" Mounir Mahjoubi, France's secretary of state for digital affairs, told Adweek. "France is regarded as a leader in AI but needs to mobilize substantially more resources to bring in scientists, tech firms and dedicated research centers from the largest corporations," he said.