Artificial intelligence (AI) is more than just an industrial and technological revolution. It has the potential to bring about a profound paradigm shift in our societies, in how we relate to knowledge, work, information, culture and even language. This technological revolution knows no borders. In this sense, artificial intelligence is a scientific, economic, cultural, political and civic issue requiring intense international dialogue involving the governments, researchers, businesses, creative professionals and civil society, to ensure the science, solutions and standards that shape artificial intelligence of the society we want to build for tomorrow are developed collaboratively.

And so France, at the initiative of its President, has decided to build on the momentum generated by the United Kingdom and the Republic of Korea, which organized the previous two Summits, by offering to host the AI Action Summit in Paris on 10th and 11th February 2025. India will co-chair this AI Action Summit.

This international Summit will bring together almost 100 countries and over a thousand private sector and civil society representatives from across the world, invited on an inclusive basis in recognition of their commitment to the action promoted by the Summit and their desire to contribute actively to debate.

The question we all face – as the world’s citizens and users, start-ups and major corporations, researchers and decision-makers, artists and media outlets – is ultimately a simple one:

  • How can we massively develop artificial intelligence technologies and uses across all world countries?
  • How can we ensure nobody is left behind and preserve our freedoms in the AI revolution?
  • How can we ensure that uses of artificial intelligence respect our humanist values and that the technology serves society and the public interest?

The stakes are sky-high: we must enable artificial intelligence to fulfil its initial promise of progress and empowerment in a context of shared trust that contains the risks inherent to technological development, while seizing every opportunity.
It is in this context that France and Europe are hosting this Summit, in line with our clear commitment to open and inclusive progress on artificial intelligence and to an approach focused on sovereignty and strategic independence when it comes to absolutely crucial technologies for our societies and economies.

The French President has been working to make France and Europe leading actors in artificial intelligence since 2017, as illustrated by how the national strategy is fully integrated into support for the development of the technologies at European level. Europe is taking a unique, creative and responsible approach to digital technology, combining innovation and regulation to serve its citizens. It is also an attractive place to work for artificial intelligence researchers and developers. Moreover, Europe has a singular message when it comes to addressing major global challenges, which require an inclusive approach – like the sharing of vaccines during the pandemic. France is not going to the Summit alone – India will be a co-chair. Furthermore, at international level, the Summit team has been supported by a steering committee of representatives from some 40 countries and international institutions, as well as representatives of academia, the private sector and civil society. The Steering Committee has met five times. Its aim is to provide high-level guidelines to the five groups led by the thematic envoys, which are responsible for jointly building the Summit’s outcomes.
More than 700 participants (public and private sector partners, researchers, NGOs from around the world) have taken part in the five contact groups, meeting regularly from summer 2024. The membership of the Summit’s contact groups is available on its website.

The Summit’s envoys have visited many countries around the world to prepare the event and gather recommendations from various public, private and philanthropic stakeholders. Five civil society meetings have also been organized, attended by more than 500 organizations.

As the impact of artificial intelligence is unprecedented and multidimensional, open and multistakeholder processes are needed to ensure today’s decisions are informed and legitimate. Thousands of stakeholders have therefore been able to take part in preparing the Summit through various channels:

  • By proposing an event that could be part of the Road to the Summit, a series of preparatory events worldwide to discuss the issues addressed at the Summit. These events have involved public and private stakeholders, experts and academics. The cultural and media sectors have also taken part. The Road to the Summit ends on 11th February, with a series of Summit side events. The list of these events is on the Summit website;
  • By taking part in the Public Interest AI call for projects, organized by the Paris Peace Forum, through which some 50 projects have been selected from around the world;
  • By contributing to the 35 AI Convergence challenges organized by the Secretariat-General for Investment, illustrating the vibrancy of academic and industrial ecosystems and the solid foundations for innovation in which they operate worldwide;
  • By submitting written contributions and taking part in the citizens’ consultation organized by the AI & Society Institute (ENS-PSL), the French National Digital Council (CNNum), The Future Society, Make.org and the Sciences Po Technology and Global Affairs Innovation Hub, and which generated several thousand contributions;
  • By taking part in the international call for expressions of interest launched by France in the artificial intelligence sector, as part of the AI for Efficiency initiative highlighting tangible examples of successful use of artificial intelligence by businesses of all sizes, public administrations and international organizations in order to generate momentum among companies, reassuring them so they can make the leap."

The European Union has been particularly active in the various preparatory forums throughout the preparation of this Summit. The European Commission and its Member States have contributed to this work within both the Steering Committee and the contact groups. The Summit has also been discussed within the Council of the European Union.

The Summit will therefore reflect a balanced European approach to artificial intelligence that combines support for innovation, adequate regulation and respect for rights to ensure development of these technologies in the interests of all, including developing countries.

Europe can and must significantly strengthen its positioning on AI and accelerate investments in this field, so that we can be at the forefront on the matter. The Summit will be the opportunity to discuss these issues so that Europe can become an ideal place to train talents, set up infrastructures, develop models and roll-them out massively and invest in AI.

The European dimension of the Summit is focused on essential deliverables for the development of a technology that Europe must maintain mastery of through (i) talents, research centres and cutting edge development, by establishing an assertive European attractiveness strategy; (ii) rigorous and compatible data management to foster the development of artificial intelligence; (iii) dedicated resources to strengthen expertise and foster emergence of global leaders; and (iv) a coalition of European companies that make the leap and prepare the groundwork to make Europe an incubator and a general hotbed for the growth of future innovative leading actors, which will become tomorrow’s international artificial intelligence champions.

Lastly, the European Union is a direct stakeholder of the Summit thanks to the Digital Europe Programme, which has contributed to organizing the Summit on 10 and 11 February 2025.

Engagement policy

Updated : 17 January 2025