France plans to become Europe’s AI hub

Paris is pulling out all the stops to position itself as the European Union’s hub for artificial intelligence, according to CNBC, citing local politicians.

During the Viva Tech conference, President Emmanuel Macron, Finance Minister Bruno Le Maire and Minister for Digital Affairs Jean-Noël Barrot expressed their support for the AI sector.

“I think we are number one [in artificial intelligence] in continental Europe, and we need to accelerate,” Macron said.

He added that France intends to “invest like crazy” in training and research. In his view, the country already has access to the talent and startups that have formed around the technology.

While the United States is seen as the leader in AI by many metrics, France hopes to close the gap and catch up with its rivals. The country does not have a tech giant like OpenAI, but authorities want to create several “major global players,” Macron added.

“Believe me, it’s clear that the United States is number one, and not for nothing, because it is a huge domestic market. I want us to narrow the gap and invest, grow and accelerate much more,” the president said.

Anton Dabur, the director of Johns Hopkins University’s Baltimore campus, says France will also face competition from other European countries—Germany and the United Kingdom.

Rishi Sunak presented a plan for the development of the AI industry, on which the government plans to allocate £100m ($125m).

To succeed, France needs to “use artificial intelligence to develop the economic sectors in which it is already strong,” such as manufacturing and pharmaceuticals, Dabur explained.

“I think fair competition between the United States and Europe, as well as cooperation on some key points — that is good for both countries,” Le Maire said.

In June, the French AI startup Mistral AI attracted record investments for Europe totaling €105 million. The project positions itself as a competitor to OpenAI.