This committee, made up of fifteen members, must publish several reports to help the government draw up France’s roadmap for generative artificial intelligence.
Published on 09/19/2023 18:01 Updated on 09/19/2023 18:35
Reading time: 2 min
Generative artificial intelligence is a “major technological advance” and France must not “miss this opportunity.” Bruno Le Maire announced the launch, on Tuesday, September 19 in Matignon, of the interministerial committee on generative artificial intelligence (AI). Made up of fifteen experts, this committee must analyze this innovation capable of generating texts and images, detailed the Minister of Economy and Finance. The latter specified that he will co-chair, along with Prime Minister Elisabeth Borne, this body in charge of evaluating for six months the opportunities and risks involved in the development of AI in France.
This committee will also be chaired by Anne Bouverot, president of the board of directors of the ENS and doctor in artificial intelligence, as well as by Philippe Aghion, economist and professor at the Collège de France. Among the fifteen members of this body are two Frenchmen who work directly for American giants: Yann Le Cun, AI specialist at Meta (Facebook’s parent company), and Joëlle Barral, director of AI research at Google DeepMind. The co-designer of Apple’s Siri voice assistant and the current scientific director of Renault, Luc Julia, also participates in the committee.
Bercy wants France to become a “leader” in AI
According to the government, this technological innovation could have a significant impact in various areas, from culture to the labor market as a whole. AI causes a change in “digital paradigm” based on “man-machine cooperation”says Bruno Le Maire, who wants France to have a place in “this race of nations.” “We have six months to identify the levers that will allow us to become leaders in the field of artificial intelligence”, he insisted on Tuesday. To achieve this objective, the government relies in particular on “large digital companies” and “more than 500 specialized start-ups” in AI and based in France.
The minister also regretted that “Europe is (built) too often against digital”, while MEPs are currently negotiating a regulatory project that imposes scientific requirements on generative AI. After a first plan of 500 million euros announced in June and dedicated to the creation of AI research centers, the government is also counting on the supply of supercomputers. Bercy hopes to create “a sector of sovereign development of AI models” thanks to French private groups, allied with other European partners.
