French National AI Commission

Artificial intelligence is a transformative technological revolution. The recent emergence and rapid spread of generative AI mark a significant stage in this revolution. We are witnessing the ease of use of certain AI tools, the speed of content generation, the realism of generated texts, images, and sounds, and the growing capabilities of recent AI models.

This technological revolution affects all areas of human activity, impacting the economy, employment, public services, the environment, information, and cultural industries. Every aspect of our society is, and will be even more so in the future, concerned by AI’s immense potential.

AI’s Impact: A Measured Approach

We don’t expect mass unemployment or an automatic acceleration of economic growth. In the coming years, AI will not replace humans, nor will it solve all our challenges. We must avoid both overestimating the short-term impact and underestimating the long-term one.

Europe and France in the Global AI Landscape

Europe and France are well-positioned to play a leading role in this revolution, thanks to the excellence of their talent. However, this wealth and the dynamism of the French AI ecosystem must not mask a worrying reality. For several decades, Europe has been falling behind technologically and economically, jeopardizing its prosperity and independence.

Proposal: A Six-Point Action Plan for French AI Leadership

We propose six main lines of action:

Launch a National AI Awareness and Training Plan

• Encourage public debates on the economic and societal impacts of AI.

• Structure higher education offerings.

• Broaden access to AI tools through lifelong learning programs.

• Integrate AI as a topic of social dialogue.

Structurally Redirect French Savings Towards Innovation

• Create a €10 billion “France & AI” fund to finance the emergence of the AI ecosystem and the transformation of the French economic fabric.

Make France a Major Location for Computing Power

• Secure collective national and European supply.

• Solicit projects to set up computing centers in France with public guarantees of usage and simplified procedures.

• Establish a tax credit for model training on national computing power.

Facilitate Access to Data

• Modernize the mandate of the French data protection authority (CNIL) and its board to facilitate access to personal data for innovation.

• Abolish certain prior authorization procedures for access to health data.

• Reduce response times.

• Establish the technical infrastructure to encourage training AI models on French and European cultural data while respecting intellectual property rights.

Experiment with an “AI Exception” in Public Research

• Free researchers from administrative constraints.

• Increase their remuneration.

• Double the resources of public research specialized in AI.

Promote Global Governance of AI

• Create a World AI Organization to evaluate and oversee AI systems.

• Establish an International AI Fund to serve the public interest.

• Implement a “1% AI” solidarity mechanism for developing countries.

A Necessary Investment for a Brighter Future

A collective, large-scale, immediate, and long-term mobilization is imperative. Our commission has developed an action plan that is both ambitious and realistic, aiming to serve people, our needs, values, and principles. The plan represents an annual public investment of €5 billion over five years. This includes technological investments alongside investments to catalyze AI diffusion in the economy, its deployment for public interest, and opportunities to train our society as a whole.