French President Emmanuel Macron expressed concern over Europe’s lack of progress in artificial intelligence (AI) development, stating that the bloc is “not in the race today” and lags behind the United States and China.
Macron attributed this to a need for an AI agenda to bridge the gap with its competitors. He fears that if Europe does not take control of AI development, it will become merely an AI consumer, losing direction and control over the technology.
To address this, Macron is promoting France as a hub for AI innovation, particularly through companies like Mistral, which has launched a new app to rival US competitors. However, the arrival of lower-cost Chinese competitor DeepSeek puts pressure on French firms.
Macron emphasized the importance of financing to support Europe’s AI development. He hopes to build 20% of the world’s data centers and plans to unveil Europe’s largest supercomputer by fall 2025.
The EU needs to improve its financing, particularly from the United States and Gulf Arab states, according to Macron. This could be a strategic advantage if US President Donald Trump imposes tariffs on European allies.
Macron called for a more business-friendly environment to make Europe competitive in AI development. He plans to announce reforms around AI startup regulations in February and March, aiming to simplify rules and synchronize with the United States.
The French president hopes that this week’s AI summit will serve as a “wake-up call” for Europe, emphasizing the need to focus on simplifying regulations and making it more business-friendly to stay competitive in the global AI landscape.
Source: https://edition.cnn.com/2025/02/09/europe/france-macron-europe-ai-race-intl/index.html