Simply earlier than the Viva Expertise honest that was held in Paris in late Might, French president Macron gathered abilities of synthetic intelligence within the Elysée Palace to reaffirm the strategic precedence for AI in France, with a 2.5 billion euros funding as a part of the France 2030 plan. For this chance, Macron introduced a sequence of actions and new laureates on this discipline.
The eighth VivaTech honest attracted all French and worldwide gamers of latest applied sciences from 21 to 25 Might 2024 on the Parc des Expositions, in Porte de Versailles, Paris. VivaTech, which defines itself as “the #1 European occasion for startups and expertise”, met in 2024 an unimaginable success, beating new attendance information. In keeping with the devoted web site, VivaTech 2024 attracted over 165,000 guests, a ten% improve in contrast with final yr. The occasion additionally attracted 13,500 startups “which had the possibility to ascertain enterprise relations in over 25 fields of actions and make contact with greater than 2,000 buyers”. With illustration in 120 international locations and the organisation of 40 nationwide stands, together with Japan (nation of the yr), “the worldwide affect of VivaTech 2024 has really been outstanding”.
AI, a nationwide technique
The French authorities data web site explains that as early as 2018, and due to a buoyant context, synthetic intelligence has been the goal of a nationwide technique as a part of the France 2030 plan. Near 2.5 billion euros have been particularly directed in the direction of the event of this expertise, “seen as an accelerator and differentiator of innovation”. Two phases led to the design of this technique:
- the primary section consisted in first structuring the present nationwide ecosystem to show France into “the primary ecosystem for AI in Europe”. The nation now has “a globally acknowledged ecosystem of analysis and expertise”;
- a second section launched in 2022 goals at “disseminating AI within the financial system to enhance industrial competitiveness and particular person and collective well-being”. A complete of 560 million euros in public funding is devoted to “the consolidation of establishments of excellence of French AI establishments”. In keeping with the ministry accountable for analysis, three most important levers have been activated as a part of this plan: coaching and analysis, assist to an “provide on the cutting-edge” (the state of information of a given discipline at a given time), the bridging between provide and demand in AI.
A method that bears its fruits
The final statements from the French president are thus on the coronary heart of this second section. The knowledge web site of the Elysée Palace first reminds that this technique “has born its fruits”. This technique “developed a community of AI interdisciplinary institutes, supported chairs of excellence on this discipline, funded doctoral programmes and invested within the calculus capability of public analysis”.
Within the wake of the primary successes, president Macron offered new orientations “to go even farther and switch France into an AI energy, attracting the most important abilities, securing our personal calculus powers and our infrastructures, and by boosting the collective adoption of an AI that’s safe and constructed with values”. In concrete phrases, this dedication will take the next varieties:
- the announcement of 9 winners of the IA-clusters name for expressions of curiosity. These are centres for excellence in analysis and coaching in synthetic intelligence, applied in main French universities overlaying all of the territory, and supported by as much as 360 million euros (France 2030 plan);
- the implementation of new programmes to enhance the assist of the State in Synthetic intelligence. They embrace: a name for tasks to “increase using generative synthetic intelligence within the financial system”, a programme about assessing superior AIs, a European centre of experience in generative AI, a name for venture aiming at enhancing the provide of cloud companies to deliver collectively the gamers of AI and cloud expertise, and a name for tasks devoted to the transition in cultural sectors to “assist the short adaptation of gamers of tradition and medias to AI applied sciences”.
Concrete outcomes
A number of key figures supplied by each the ministry accountable for analysis and the presidency web site present the vitality of AI in France:
- 80 analysis labs are affected by the AI subject;
- over 600 startups work on AI (+24% between 2021 and 2023);
- 76 startups devoted to “generative” (sound, textual content, video, picture);
- 13,500 jobs developed within the sector;
- 3.2 billion euros raised in 2022 by firms in AI;
So many indicators that turned France into the first nation in Europe for overseas funding tasks in AI and 1st host nation for centre of analysis and choice in AI of world leaders.
