Paris, France – As the City of Lights prepares to host the AI Action Summit on February 10th and 11th, 2025, the air is thick with anticipation. Forget the berets and baguettes for a moment; the world’s attention is laser-focused on the Grand Palais, where global leaders, tech titans, and influential thinkers will converge to tackle the promises and perils of artificial intelligence.
Think of it as the Davos of the digital age. Prime Minister Narendra Modi and French President Emmanuel Macron are co-chairing the event, setting the stage for some serious discussions. The guest list reads like a who’s who of the tech world and global politics: US Vice President JD Vance, OpenAI CEO Sam Altman, and Google’s Sundar Pichai are all expected to grace the summit with their presence. Even China is sending a heavy hitter, with Vice Premier Ding Xuexiang slated to attend.But it’s not just about the big names. Representatives from over 80 countries, encompassing government officials, CEOs, academics, and members of civil society, will be there to ensure a diverse range of voices contribute to the conversation.
Beyond the Hype: What’s Really on the Agenda?
Unlike previous AI summits that were heavy on the doom-and-gloom scenarios and focused primarily on AI safety, this year’s event in Paris is taking a broader, more optimistic approach. Sure, safety and ethical considerations are still on the table, especially after the emergence of China’s DeepSeek AI tool. But the focus is shifting towards how AI can drive economic growth, foster innovation, and address some of the world’s most pressing challenges.The summit is structured around five core themes, each designed to explore a different facet of the AI revolution:
- Public Interest in AI: How AI impacts our daily lives, from healthcare to education to transportation.
- The Future of Work: What will the job market look like in an AI-driven world? How do we prepare workers for the changes ahead?
- Innovation and Culture: How can AI be used to foster creativity, promote cultural understanding, and drive scientific breakthroughs?
- Trust in AI: Ensuring ethical and responsible AI development and deployment.
- Global AI Governance: Setting worldwide regulations and policies for AI to ensure it benefits all of humanity.
OpenAI’s Big Plans for Europe
OpenAI, the company behind ChatGPT, isn’t just attending the summit; they’re actively shaping the conversation1. Fresh off the release of their US Economic Blueprint, OpenAI is bringing its “AI Economics” event series to Paris, gathering policymakers and leading thinkers to discuss how AI can fuel economic growth and create opportunities for everyone1.Following similar events in London and Brussels, OpenAI plans to unveil its Economic Blueprint for Europe, offering concrete recommendations on how the continent can seize the AI opportunity1. This includes partnering with innovative French startups like Mirakl and Pigment, who are already using OpenAI’s technology to compete on a global scale1.”Today, people are using AI tools at home and at work more than ever before, with 300 million weekly active users globally on ChatGPT alone,” OpenAI said in a statement. “As societies, we are experiencing first-hand how AI can be used to assist with everyday tasks and its potential to help us solve difficult problems.”OpenAI highlighted several examples of AI in action in France:
- Sanofi is using AI to accelerate drug trials, potentially saving lives and bringing medicines to patients faster1.
- ESCP Business School is offering personalized learning experiences powered by AI1.
- Orange will fine-tune OpenAI’s open-source speech model to better understand regional languages in Africa1.
- Ask Mona is promoting greater access to culture through AI-powered museum experiences1.
Show Me the Money: Expected Outcomes and Investments
So, what can we expect from this high-powered gathering in Paris? While the summit isn’t expected to produce any binding agreements, it aims to generate concrete actions that ensure AI development benefits society, the economy, and the environment .A non-binding communiqué outlining principles for responsible AI development and use is anticipated5. Emphasis will be placed on distributing AI benefits to developing nations and securing funding for public-interest AI projects.
Get ready for some serious investment announcements. Philanthropies and businesses are expected to commit an initial $500 million in capital and potentially up to $2.5 billion over the next five years to fund AI development projects5. One key deliverable could be the creation of an AI foundation to equip developing countries with open-source AI tools based on less powerful AI systems, funded to the tune of 2.5 billion euros over 5 years5.
The summit is also expected to showcase the impact of current AI systems in sectors such as healthcare and climate change adaptation, presenting 35 “convergence challenges”5. A multilateral agreement on the environmental impact of this technology is also on the cards5. Moreover, the completed ‘International AI Safety Report‘, backed by 30 countries and the OECD, UN, and EU, summarizing the state of the science on AI capabilities and risks, and how to mitigate those risks, will be presented.
Will Paris Deliver?
The Paris AI Action Summit represents a critical moment in the global effort to harness the transformative power of artificial intelligence responsibly and inclusively3. The outcomes of this summit are poised to influence AI policies and practices worldwide, shaping the trajectory of this technology for years to come3.But with so many competing interests and complex challenges, can the world’s leaders come together to forge a common path forward? Only time will tell.
But one thing is clear: the future of AI is being written right now, and Paris is where the story unfolds.As France prepares to host the Artificial Intelligence (AI) Action Summit at the Grand Palais on February 10 and 11, 2025, Wavestone will actively participate in the summit. Ten of Wavestone’s experts will participate in the Summit’s evening event on February 10 and will network with their peers. Wavestone will participate in a large-scale cyber crisis exercise on the afternoon of February 11 at the Campus Cyber in Paris, which will be led by the French Cyber Security Agency (ANSSI) with an AI theme. Wavestone will also present the key takeaways of a unique 16-page document describing the state of AI in large enterprises at a premium event in Paris on February 6th.
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