“Thirty years ago, we let the digital revolution pass because we focused on regulation while neglecting technological conquest. We cannot afford to miss this second chance. We must master artificial intelligence technologies to avoid being subject to the standards of other powers,” insisted Economy Minister Bruno Le Maire on Tuesday at the opening of the first interministerial committee dedicated to AI.

Sponsored by Prime Minister Elisabeth Borne, the event also brought together the ministers of Labor, Culture, Research, Civil Service and Digital Affairs, the sectors most affected by this new technological revolution.

In 2018, France launched its first strategic plan on artificial intelligence. A second stage was announced last June by Emmanuel Macron, including a budget of 500 million euros in order to place at least three French training courses in the world’s top best universities in the field of AI, and to double the number of high-level engineers and researchers from their ranks.

But the government intends to go further with the arrival in the hands of the public and businesses of generative artificial intelligence, which poses its share of promises but also risks. And to guide him in his policies, Matignon has just appointed a committee of high-ranking experts on AI this Tuesday.

Chaired by the economist Philippe Aghion and Anne Bouverot, president of the board of directors of the Ecole Normale Supérieure, this committee brings together some of the most renowned French AI researchers. Yann Le Cun, one of the “fathers” of deep learning and current head of AI research at the American group Meta is in the list of 15 experts, as is Luc Julia (scientific director of Renault and co-designer of Apple’s Siri voice assistant) and Joëlle Barral, director of AI research at Google Deepmind.

It is from this company that another member comes, Arthur Mensch, who has just launched the start-up Mistral AI. The former Secretary of State for Digital Cédric O is also named, as is the general director of Dassault Systèmes Bernard Charlès*, or Isabelle Ryl, director of the Paris Artificial Intelligence Institute at Inria.

Also read: Arthur Mensch and Mistral, the European hope for AI

The roadmap of this committee, led by Bercy, is broad. And it will only have six months to submit its recommendations to the government, with an interim report expected in November. “We will analyze the impact of artificial intelligence on our economy, employment, growth, the fight against inequalities,” commented Philippe Aghion. “In addition, we will look at industrial policy for artificial intelligence, and how to fill the gap in relation to American and Chinese investments.” Recommendations on ethics and regulation are also awaited.

At the same time, a mission on the impact of AI in the cultural sector, with crucial questions such as the protection of copyright and the impacts of these technologies on creative professions, was launched by the Ministry of Culture. “We do not exclude other variations to explore issues in the education or health sectors,” we add to Matignon.

Is this committee intended to be established over time? The government says nothing about it. Matignon nevertheless underlines the need for national reflection so that France has clear and readable positions on the multiple challenges of AI with the European Union, other foreign powers, and international institutions.

*Dassault Systèmes is a subsidiary of the Dassault Group, owner of Le Figaro

The list of experts from the committee on artificial intelligence:

Co-presidents: Philippe Aghion, economist specializing in innovation and Anne Bouverot, president of the board of directors of the ENS

Gilles Babinet, President of the National Digital Council

Joëlle Barral, scientific director at Google

Alexandra Bensamoun, qualified personality at the Superior Council of Literary and Artistic Property (CSPLA)

Nozha Boujemaa, member of the high-level expert group on AI at the European Commission

Bernard Charlès, CEO of Dassault Systèmes

Luc Julia, expert in generative artificial intelligence

Yann Le Cun, VP and Chief AI Scientist at Meta, expert in generative AI

Arthur Mensch, founder of Mistral

Cédric O, consultant, former Secretary of State for Digital

Isabelle Ryl, director of the Paris Artificial Intelligence Research Institute (PRAIRIE, INRIA)

Franca Salis-Madinier, National Secretary of the CFDT Executives in charge of Europe, digital technology, artificial intelligence and the protection of whistleblowers.

Martin Tisné, co-founder of OGP

Gaël Varoquaux, computer science researcher