By Necva Tastan Sevinc
ISTANBUL (AA) - French President Emmanuel Macron has announced a €109 billion ($112 billion) investment in artificial intelligence (AI) over the coming years.
Speaking to public broadcaster France 2 on Sunday ahead of the 3rd AI summit in Paris, Macron emphasized the need for international cooperation and regulation.
“This is a new era of progress,” Macron said, stressing that AI should serve as an "assistant" rather than replace human jobs.
He highlighted applications in medicine, where AI could improve disease prevention, detection, and treatment while allowing health care professionals to focus more on patient care.
The investment comes as France seeks to keep pace with global AI developments, including the US initiative "Stargate," for which US President Donald Trump pledged $500 billion.
- AI summit in Paris
The AI summit, co-chaired with India, set for Feb. 10-11 in Paris, will bring together world leaders, tech executives, and policymakers to discuss ethical, political, and economic challenges surrounding AI.
It will be the 3rd summit organized worldwide in this field.
Macron has announced that up to 100,000 young professionals would be trained in AI-related fields, more than double the current figures.
During the summit, France is expected to announce the establishment of a Paris-based institution focused on diversifying the AI ecosystem through infrastructure investments.
More than 1,000 participants, including leaders from over 80 countries, are set to attend. High-profile attendees include Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz, Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis, Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan, and US Vice President James David Vance.
Tech leaders from Microsoft, OpenAI, Google, Anthropic, and Sakana AI will also be present. However, the participation of Tesla and X owner Elon Musk remains uncertain.