Paris: French President Emmanuel Macron has announced a pound 109 billion ($112 billion) investment in artificial intelligence (AI) over the coming years. Speaking to public broadcaster France 2 on Sunday ahead of the 3rd AI summit in Paris, Macron emphasized the need for international cooperation and regulation.
According to Anadolu Agency, Macron described this initiative as marking a new era of progress, underlining that AI should act as an "assistant" rather than replace human jobs. He pointed out its potential applications in medicine, suggesting that AI could enhance disease prevention, detection, and treatment, thereby allowing healthcare professionals to concentrate more on patient care.
The investment initiative is part of France's strategy to keep pace with global AI advancements, including the US initiative "Stargate," for which US President Donald Trump pledged $500 billion.
The AI summit, co-chaired with India and scheduled for February 10-11 in Paris, aims to gather world leaders, tech executives, and policymakers to deliberate on the ethical, political, and economic challenges surrounding AI. This will be the third such summit organized globally in this field.
Macron also announced that up to 100,000 young professionals would be trained in AI-related fields, more than double the current numbers. During the summit, France is expected to unveil plans for a Paris-based institution dedicated to diversifying the AI ecosystem through infrastructure investments.
More than 1,000 participants, including leaders from over 80 countries, are expected to attend the summit. High-profile attendees include Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz, Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis, Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan, and US Vice President James David Vance. Tech leaders from Microsoft, OpenAI, Google, Anthropic, and Sakana AI will also be present, although the participation of Tesla and X owner Elon Musk remains uncertain.