Paris AI Summit: Investments, Sustainability, and International Cooperation

Paris AI Summit: Investments, Sustainability, and International Cooperation
Source: Kremlin.ru, CC BY 4.0 <https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0>, via Wikimedia Commons

The two-day artificial intelligence summit held in the French capital between February 10-11, 2025, was attended by nearly one hundred countries and more than a thousand stakeholders. French President Emmanuel Macron announced the country's €109 billion AI investment plan at the event. At the meeting co-organized with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, US Vice President JD Vance and Chinese Deputy Prime Minister Zhang Guoqing were also present, indicating the global significance of the technological competition.

One of the most significant outcomes of the summit was the launch of the "Current AI" initiative, which started with an initial investment of $400 million, supported by entities including the French government, Google, and Salesforce. The program aims to advance AI research and development, focusing on creating safe and ethical AI systems and supporting open-source projects and talent development initiatives. Additionally, the first International AI Safety Report was presented, prepared by 96 experts representing 30 countries, with the collaboration of the OECD, EU, and UN specialists. In her opening speech, Stanford University researcher Fei-Fei Li warned that AI development could be hindered if the opportunities for curiosity-driven research, talented educators and researchers, open-source developments, and collaboration between different scientific disciplines become concentrated in the hands of just a few large companies.

Another significant outcome was the formation of the Environmentally Sustainable Artificial Intelligence Coalition, which was joined by 91 members, including 37 technology companies and 10 countries. Participants adopted the declaration "Inclusive and Sustainable Artificial Intelligence for People and the Planet"; however, the United States and the United Kingdom did not join the signatories. It's worth noting that before the summit, in October 2024, OpenAI announced opening its first continental European office in Paris, highlighting France's role in AI innovation and technological leadership. The next AI summit will be hosted by India.

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