After the Olympic Games, artificial intelligence (AI)? Paris intends to attract global attention once again with the Summit for Action on AI, to be held at the Grand Palais. On February 10 and 11, 2025, 100 heads of state from around the world will be invited, including the American Donald Trump and Chinese officials. An invitation will go out to a total of 700 personalities, from business leaders – including Elon Musk and executives from American companies OpenAI, Google and Meta, and French companies such as Mistral and LightOn – to "researchers and representatives of civil society," as the Elysée stated on Friday, November 29.
The first day, February 10, will be devoted to workshops, conferences and demonstrations. In the evening, a dinner will be held at the Elysée Palace with heads of state and VIPs. The following morning, there will be discussions between political leaders and, in parallel, a business day highlighting companies and other players. The preceding days will see the start of an AI week, with science-focussed days on February 6 and 7, and cultural events on the weekend of February 8 and 9.
Paris is taking a fairly positive and optimistic line on this technology to promote itself as one of the world's AI capitals and set itself apart from previous summits. "We will be highlighting the risks of AI, already well discussed at London in November 2023 and Seoul in May, and also the opportunities and benefits of this technology," said the Elysée, extolling the potential benefits of AI for health, climate and productivity, hence its being named an action summit. The first, held in London, was devoted to security and in part to the catastrophic or existential risks associated with AI.
Inclusive diplomatic approach
This approach is in line with the position adopted by Emmanuel Macron, who over the past two years has been personally involved in debates on the European AI Act regulation, described as a possible brake on innovation. It is also reminiscent of the report by the AI Commission, chaired by Anne Bouverot, who is now the President of the Republic's special envoy for the February 2025 summit. The summit should be an opportunity to publish the recommendations of the European AI Champions Initiative, a group of business leaders and institutional representatives tasked with fostering the creation of local giants.
France is also seeking to distinguish itself through an inclusive diplomatic approach: "We want to show that in Paris, we can hold multilateral meetings and have a conversation about AI as we do about other subjects," said the Elysée, citing the risk of the digital world fragmenting. The aim of the summit is to clarify the global governance of AI, discussed at the United Nations, the G7 and the OECD.
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