Emmanuel Macron's vision for European AI

In a recent speech during his visit to Serbia on 29 August 2024, Emmanuel Macron, President of the French Republic, outlined his vision for the future of Artificial Intelligence (AI) in Europe. He stressed the importance of a specifically European approach in the face of Chinese and American domination in this field, and the importance of relying on Open Source technologies as a priority.

Europe must catch up

"Let's face it, the Chinese and the Americans are investing much more than the Americans.. "

Emmanuel Macron has acknowledged that Europe has fallen significantly behind in the global AI race. The French President sees this delay as an opportunity for Europe to develop its own alternative model, distinct from the Chinese and American approaches. According to Emmanuel Macron, Europe has a special role to play in the development of AI. He is proposing a ‘mixed, public-private’ innovation model that would stand out from the crowd:

• From the Chinese model, characterised by total government control
• From the American model, dominated by totally private innovation

This European model would aim to put AI at the service of society's ‘collective goals’, reflecting European values.

" I believe that Europe, which is the place where we invented humanity's subsequent ability to place man, in the generic sense of the term, at the centre of everything, has something to say and do for artificial intelligence, in other words to have a very specific, mixed, public-private innovation model, to succeed in ensuring that artificial intelligence serves our collective goals and basically defines its own standard.  "

 

The ‘3S’ strategy based on open source

President Macron stressed the need for Europe to catch up in terms of investment in AI. He spoke of the importance of defining a collective framework based on three pillars, which he dubbed the ‘3S’: Science, Standards and Solutions.

1. Science: Emmanuel Macron believes that the foundation of European AI must be scientific, based on solid and transparent research, far removed from conspiracy theories or vested interests. Science must be at the heart of this revolution, ensuring that advances in AI are based on verified knowledge and rigorous methodologies.

    

2. Standards: He also stressed the importance of creating common international standards for AI. These standards must not only define norms, but also establish prohibitions and promote ethical practices. For Emmanuel Macron, it is crucial that these standards are co-defined by Europeans to avoid any dependence on foreign standards, which could compromise the continent's technological sovereignty.

    

3. Solutions: Finally, Emmanuel Macron stressed the need to develop AI solutions that are common, open and approved on a European scale. In particular, he highlighted the importance of Open Source solutions, which enable sharing and collaboration on a European scale, while guaranteeing technological independence from non-European powers.

"We need common AI solutions that are approved and open. That's why it's so important to have an open source model and to have European solutions."

 

A sovereign future

For Emmanuel Macron, the greatest risk for Europe is to become dependent on non-European solutions and standards. This dependence could lead to a loss of sovereignty, limiting Europe's ability to control its own technological destiny. On the other hand, by developing its own solutions and defining its own standards, Europe could not only catch up, but also become a world leader in AI.