Artificial Intelligence (AI)

France was one of the first countries to adopt a national strategy for artificial intelligence in 2018, accompanied by funding of €1.5 billion.

Building on this pro‑active policy, it has 81 AI laboratories, the largest number in Europe, and many foreign businesses, such as Uber, Meta and Microsoft, have chosen France to set up or strengthen their AI laboratories.

The sector in figures

• #1 European country for foreign investments in AI, France attracted 17 AI‑related projects in 2023
• €1.3 billion invested by French businesses in AI in 2023
• Third country in the world in terms of AI researchers

France’s ambitions

The aim is to support 500 SMEs and mid-size companies in the adoption and use of AI solutions by 2025, and to develop sovereign platforms in data science, machine learning and robotics.

This strategy is based on three pillars:

• Training and attracting talent in AI, with the aim of training 40,000 students per year and creating five to 10 world-class universities and schools
• Support for the deep offer tech
• Bringing together supply and demand for AI solutions

The “France 2030” plan provides for €2.1 billion of investment in AI by public and private key players over the 2021-2025 period to strengthen the AI research and training ecosystem.

A dynamic ecosystem

With more than 600 startups (including nine unicorns), France is a leading technological power.

It particularly stands out in two key areas:

• machine learning (automatic learning)
• computer vision (which allows computers to acquire high-level understanding from digital images or videos).

The country is an attractive destination for AI research, with many public laboratories and several private businesses that have chosen to set up their R&D centers in the country.

A large talent pool

France has 81 AI laboratories and hosts training centers recognized around the world in the field of artificial intelligence.

For example, between 2017 and 2021, France remained seventh in the world and second in Europe in terms of publications on AI in scientific conferences (after China, the United States, India, Germany and the United Kingdom).

Each year, more than 40,000 interns are trained.

Carbon-free and affordable electricity

Thanks to its nuclear sector, France has one of the least carbon-intensive energy mixes in the world. It is ranked second in Europe for the most carbon-free electricity production.

It can guarantee a stable supply at a competitive cost through long-term contracts for manufacturers with an electro-intensive status.

• South Korean giant Samsung Electronics has opened a “Samsung Computational Design Lab” in Paris that aims to improve traditional design processes by applying advanced technologies, such as artificial intelligence, machine learning and computational design. Launched in Paris within the Samsung Electronics France subsidiary, the design laboratory will implement a new form of collaboration between designers and machines to simulate real products and improve the user experience.

• AI Redefined, a Canadian firm specializing in artificial intelligence to promote alignment between human values and AI, plans to create 25 new positions in the next three years within its European decision center, which is based in Paris (Ile de France region). The business was supported by Choose Paris Region, which provided information on the “bubbling” ecosystem in innovation and AI, assisted with search for premises, and connected it with service providers regarding legal matters, financing and recruitment.

• France is the leading host of the AI research and decision centers for top global businesses, including Google, Meta, Hugging Face, Dataiku, Tata Sons and Accenture.