French President Emmanuel Macron delivered a speech on artificial intelligence at the Elysée Palace in front of industry stakeholders on May 21. France and the United Arab Emirates have established a strategic partnership in the field of artificial intelligence, with the French Minister of Economy Bruno Le Maire announcing the agreement during his visit to the Gulf state. The partnership aims to enhance economic cooperation between the two countries in the rapidly growing technological sector, with a focus on skills development, research, investments in data centers, semiconductor industries, and AI applications. The UAE, which was the first country to appoint a Minister of AI in 2017, aspires to become a global leader in AI by 2031.
The deepening relationship between France and the UAE has extended to defense cooperation, with Le Maire indicating that the UAE now has the opportunity to invest in the French civilian nuclear industry. In another development, a French AI startup called H was launched and secured 202.7 million euros in funding from major investors such as Bernard Arnault, Xavier Niel, and Amazon. The startup, founded by former employees of Google DeepMind, aims to introduce generative AI capabilities to businesses worldwide through specialized multimodal models focused on action. French President Macron praised the launch of H as a positive development, emphasizing the importance of investment in AI for France and Europe.
Macron also announced additional investments in AI education and research, with plans to increase the number of individuals trained in AI from 40,000 to 100,000 per year. He underscored the importance of talent development, infrastructure, applications, investment, and governance in the AI sector. A new investment fund, co-sponsored by the government, will support underfunded sectors related to AI such as electronic chips and cloud technologies. France will also establish a new AI evaluation center with global significance. To promote public engagement with AI, the National Digital Council will receive funding to organize debates and events on AI across France.
France aims to establish itself as a leading hub for AI in Europe, positioning itself against American giants like Google, Microsoft, and OpenAI, as well as Chinese competition. Mistral AI, considered the European AI leader, stands out as a key asset for the country in this sector. The French government has been advised to invest 5 billion euros annually over five years in AI to remain competitive with global players. Microsoft’s recent announcement of a 4 billion euro investment in data centers in France to bolster its AI and cloud infrastructure further underscores the growing importance of AI technology in the region.
