French President Emmanuel Macron announced a €109 billion investment in AI¹ at the weekend to cement France’s position as a leader in global AI development. The announcement came in the lead up to the Artificial Intelligence Action Summit in Paris which began yesterday. The summit brings together world leaders, tech executives, and policymakers to address the future of AI innovation and regulation. During the summit, Macron urged the need to activate “Notre Dame mode” and “jolt” France and Europe into taking a leading role in the future of AI development.

A Major Commitment to AI Development

The historic €109 billion investment investment will come from the private sector and is set to be distributed over the coming years to drive AI research, support startups, and integrate AI into key industries, including healthcare, finance, and defence. Key investors include French companies Orange, Thales as well as the organisation BPiFrance, with large pledges also reportedly coming from UAE and Canadian investors.²

This initiative reflects a broader European effort to foster homegrown AI capabilities and reduce reliance on foreign technology. The French government has already launched several AI research programs and public-private partnerships, and this funding injection is expected to accelerate their impact.³

Speaking to France 2 on Sunday 9 February, Macron emphasised that AI is central to economic growth and technological sovereignty, stating that France must “lead in innovation while upholding strong ethical and regulatory principles.”⁴

Meanwhile, across the Atlantic, U.S. policy is taking a different trajectory. At the beginning of January, President Trump revoked Biden’s AI executive order, signaling a move away from regulation and toward a continued reliance on self-regulation. While executive orders have no binding legal effect, they provide a valuable policy indicator of how the U.S. may approach AI regulation at the federal level. Currently, this approach appears to prioritise industry-led governance rather than formal regulatory frameworks, reinforcing the U.S. tradition of minimising government intervention in emerging technologies.

President Macron framed the latest investment as “the equivalent for France of what the United States announced with Stargate,” referring to President Trump’s recent announcement of a $500 billion AI investment package.⁵ This U.S. initiative includes $100 billion in private investment from OpenAI, SoftBank, Oracle, and MGX, an Emirati AI investor.⁶ The substantial investment on European soil emphasises France’s bold desire to remain competitive in the global AI race.

Macron Calls for a European “Sursaut” in AI

Speaking at the summit on Monday 10 February, Macron urged Europe to take urgent action to bridge its AI gap, calling for a “sursaut” (a jolt) akin to the fast-tracked reconstruction of Notre-Dame Cathedral. “It is time to wake up and develop a European strategy,” he declared in English, emphasising the need for a clear roadmap, simplified governance, and streamlined procedures to accelerate AI advancements. “We have shown the world that with a clear timeline, we can succeed,” he added, referring to Notre-Dame’s rapid reconstruction model as a template for AI policy.⁷

Mistral AI’s Data Center Investment: The First in France

In parallel with the government’s AI push, French AI startup Mistral announced plans to invest billions of euros in its first dedicated data centre.⁸ The facility will support AI model training and deployment, reinforcing France’s AI infrastructure. This move aligns with national efforts to scale AI capabilities while maintaining technological independence.

France’s Energy Advantage: “Plug, Baby, Plug”

In addition to Mistral’s efforts, France hopes to attract further data centres and AI investment through its apparent abundance of electricity. Macron contrasted his ambitions with the U.S. approach under Trump. “In a world where I have good friends across the ocean saying ‘Drill, baby, drill’—drill, drill, and drill again—here, there is no need to drill. It is ‘Plug, baby, plug.’ Just connect, connect, and connect again. The electricity is available; you can plug in,” he quipped. Macron stressed that France’s energy infrastructure, largely powered by nuclear energy, provides a stable, low-carbon, and scalable solution for AI-driven industries.⁹

The AI Summit: A Global Dialogue on AI Regulation

The Artificial Intelligence Action Summit, held in Paris on February 10-11, convenes global leaders to discuss AI governance, its economic impact and ethical considerations. The event features a series of discussions on:

• AI and Society: Exploring how AI affects employment, security, and civic life.
• Regulation and Governance: Comparing approaches to AI oversight, with a focus on the European Union’s AI Act.
• Scientific and Cultural Impacts: Addressing AI’s role in research, media, and the arts.

The summit underscores the increasing need for global cooperation in AI regulation. Macron reiterated France’s commitment to balancing innovation with responsible AI governance, calling for a coordinated approach that ensures AI serves humanity, not just corporate interests. In his speech, Macron emphasised the need for Europe to develop a unified strategy for AI, highlighting the importance of ethical considerations and streamlined procedures to accelerate AI advancements.

However, the summit also drew criticism from some industry experts and policymakers who argued that the discussions largely favoured the interests of established technology giants while sidelining voices from civil society and smaller AI developers.¹⁰ Critics pointed out that while Macron called for more streamlined governance, efforts to manage fears of AI-driven risks such deepfakes, misinformation, as well as the overall societal impact are lacking. The diverse attendance from industry, to policy makers to Vatican representatives emphasised that meaningful global AI governance requires input from a diverse range of stakeholders, not just corporate leaders and policymakers.¹¹

The Current State of Global AI Regulation

The regulatory landscape for AI remains highly fragmented. The European Union has led efforts with the AI Act, which aims to regulate high-risk AI applications and impose strict transparency measures. In contrast, the United States has leaned towards self-regulation, with policymakers debating the extent of government intervention. China, meanwhile, has implemented stringent AI laws that prioritise government oversight and control. (see our Global AI Regulation Tracker here)

The summit highlights the growing consensus that AI development cannot proceed unchecked. Experts warn that without global coordination, regulatory inconsistencies could stifle innovation and create ethical risks, particularly in areas such as AI-driven surveillance, bias in automated decision-making, and cybersecurity threats.¹²

What Comes Next?

France’s AI investment is expected to reshape its technology sector, attracting talent and capital while reinforcing its role in AI regulation debates. However, questions remain about how European AI policies will influence global standards and whether other nations will follow suit.

As AI continues to evolve, international collaboration on regulation will be crucial. The next steps may include expanding multilateral discussions, aligning policies between major AI players, and creating mechanisms for AI safety and accountability.

Macron’s bold investment signals that France is betting on AI as a pillar of its economic future. Whether this approach will successfully balance innovation and oversight remains to be seen, but it is clear that the world is watching closely.

Read more about the AI summit here. Watch President Macron’s speech on 9 February 2025 here and his one during the AI Summit on France 24 here.

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Sources:

1. Emmanuel Macron, Les enjeux de l’IA : mon interview sur France 2 et Firstpost, YouTube, 24:35, 10 February 2025, (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kaew18GQyac) ; Le Monde, “AI: With the Announcement of a €109 Billion Investment, Macron Intends to Take on the US,” Le Monde, 10 February 2025 (https://www.lemonde.fr/en/economy/article/2025/02/10/ai-with-the-announcement-of-a-109-billion-investment-macron-intends-to-take-on-the-us_6737985_19.html) ↩︎
2. R Dillet, “Macron unveils a 112billion AI investment package as France’s answer to Stargate” TechCrunch, 10 February 2025 (https://techcrunch.com/2025/02/10/macron-unveils-a-112b-ai-investment-package-as-frances-answer-to-stargate/ ) ↩︎
3. Business France, “Artificial Intelligence,” Business France, (https://www.businessfrance.fr/en/invest-in-france/key-sectors/artificial-intelligence ); Inria, “French National Artificial Intelligence Research Program,” Inria (https://www.inria.fr/en/french-national-artificial-intelligence-research-program?utm_source=chatgpt.com ) ↩︎
4. Le Monde, “AI: With the Announcement of a €109 Billion Investment, Macron Intends to Take on the US,” Le Monde, 10 February 2025 (https://www.lemonde.fr/en/economy/article/2025/02/10/ai-with-the-announcement-of-a-109-billion-investment-macron-intends-to-take-on-the-us_6737985_19.html) ↩︎
5. Emmanuel Macron, Les enjeux de l’IA : mon interview sur France 2 et Firstpost, YouTube, 24:35, 10 February 2025 (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kaew18GQyac) ↩︎
6. e Monde, “AI: With the Announcement of a €109 Billion Investment, Macron Intends to Take on the US,” Le Monde, 10 February 2025 (https://www.lemonde.fr/en/economy/article/2025/02/10/ai-with-the-announcement-of-a-109-billion-investment-macron-intends-to-take-on-the-us_6737985_19.html) ↩︎
7. Speech by President Macron at the AI Summit in Paris, 10 February 2025, available (in French) on France 24, YouTube (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yST3DA1Se9s ) ↩︎
8. R. Dillet “Mistral Gets Down to Business,” TechCrunch, 10 February 2025, (https://techcrunch.com/2025/02/10/mistral-gets-down-to-business/) ↩︎
9. Speech by President Macron at the AI Summit in Paris, 10 February 2025, available (in French) on France 24, YouTube (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yST3DA1Se9s ) ↩︎
10. A. Breeden, L. Alderman, “Macron Pitches Lighter Regulation to Fuel A.I. Boom in Europe”, he New York Times, 10 February 2025 (https://www.nytimes.com/2025/02/10/business/ai-summit-paris.html) ↩︎
11. A. Breeden, L. Alderman, “Macron Pitches Lighter Regulation to Fuel A.I. Boom in Europe”, he New York Times, 10 February 2025 (https://www.nytimes.com/2025/02/10/business/ai-summit-paris.html)  ↩︎
12. For example: Edith M. Lederer, “UN Calls for Global AI Governance to Manage Risks and Maximize Benefits,” Associated Press, February 10, 2025, accessed February 10, 2025, (https://apnews.com/article/un-artificial-intelligence-global-governance-risks-benefits-f755788da7d5905fcc2d44edf93c4bec); L. Ho et al “International Institutions for Advanced AI,” arXiv preprint, July 2023, (https://arxiv.org/abs/2307.04699) ↩︎