I look forward to attending the Artificial Intelligence Action Summit in Paris, France, next week.

After the two previous summits hosted at Bletchley Park in the UK (November 2023) and in Seoul, South Korea (May 2024), French President Emmanuel Macron has decided to host a new AI Action Summit, cochaired with India, on February 10–11 in Paris.

Who will attend, and what’s on the agenda?

  • 60 heads of state and government, including US Vice President JD Vance, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, Chinese Vice Premier Ding Xuexiang, and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi
  • Hundreds of scientists, experts, and academic reseachers, including four Nobel Prize winners and four Turing Award winners
  • More than 300 AI firms and enterprises, with dedicated business meetings and events at Station F
  • Hundreds of side events, with a very rich agenda open to civil society and NGOs, including a cultural weekend

Full details of the agenda are here.

Why is this event important?

Forrester has already shared its perspectives on the disruptive nature of AI and generative AI:

 

  • Generative AI will reshape our lives and impact businesses. See the Forrester report, The Generative AI Advantage.
  • AI and the environment are complexly intertwined. While AI has significant potential to help mitigate the environmental crisis, today’s AI tech — especially genAI — has a huge impact on climate change and water resources. We explain how in the Forrester report, How AI Will Accelerate The Green Market Revolution.
  • There’s stronger emphasis on the importance of trust and ethics when leveraging AI technology. See the Forrester blog, Trusted AI Begins And Ends With Alignment.

AI represents more than just an industrial and technological revolution. It has the potential to bring about a profound paradigm shift in our society and in how we relate to knowledge, work, information, culture, and even language. Some claim that AI is just mathematics and doesn’t require any regulation at all. Others consider that the European Commission is killing innovation by regulating AI too tightly. Let’s face it: AI is such a complex topic, with so many political, societal, and environmental consequences, that it deserves a more nuanced debate. That’s what the Summit will try to establish — maintaining a dialogue on global governance in an increasingly fragmented world.

What should attendees expect?

In my opinion, the Summit is first and foremost a diplomatic move that aims at facilitating the convergence of AI governance, generating debate on the impact of AI on society, and establishing thought leadership on AI’s latest developments. It is likely that no major announcement will be made, but what really matters is creating conditions for continuous dialogue on AI global regulation. It is also worth noting that 50 innovative AI for Good projects have been selected and will receive support, communication, and funding at the AI Action Summit; see the full list here.

Last but not least, President Macron’s diplomatic move also aims to showcase France’s capabilities and assets in the global AI race to make sure that France remains one of the leading global destinations for foreign investments in artificial intelligence:

  • Excellence in AI and mathematical research with well-known AI scientists such as Yann LeCun (2018 Turing Award winner and chief AI scientist at Meta)
  • Several AI research hubs and decision-making centers that involve global leaders
  • A vibrant AI ecosystem, with more than 1,000 AI startups having raised €1.9 billion in 2024, including Mistral AI and its large language model
  • Powerful computing centers, both public (Jean Zay/GENCI) and private (Scaleway, OUTSCALE, and OVH)
  • Decarbonized electricity