What do we expect from the France AI Action Summit  

The upcoming AI Action Summit in Paris, co-chaired by France and India, represents a pivotal moment in shaping the future of artificial intelligence governance and development. Taking place from February 6-11, 2025 in Paris, this international gathering will bring together nearly a hundred countries and over a thousand stakeholders from the private sector and civil society.  

This insight highlights the expected topics to be discussed at the upcoming AI Action Summit in Paris. To learn more about both the AI Action Summit and the AI Fringe, which will be hosting events in London concurrently with the Summit, join us for our Pre-Summit webinar with DSIT and AI Fringe on 4 February from 10:00 to 11:00. Additionally, we will be hosting panel sessions with AI Fringe at the British Library on 11 February 

The techUK team will be in Paris from 6-11 February for the Summit and other engagements and would like to know if any members will also be attending. If you or your teams plan to be in Paris for the Summit, please get in touch and let us know by contacting [email protected]. 

The 2025 Paris AI Action Summit  

The global AI summit journey began in 2023 with the UK's Bletchley Park AI Safety Summit, which focused on foundational discussions about AI governance and safety. This evolved into the 2024 Seoul AI Summit, which structured around three key themes: innovation, inclusion, and safety.  

Building on the momentum, France is hosting the 2025 AI Action Summit, with an expanded scope across five dedicated working groups: international governance, future of work, security and safety, AI for general interest, and innovation and culture. This evolution reflects how the global AI dialogue has matured beyond initial safety concerns to broader topics and participation. France has opened the Summit’s preparation phase to diverse stakeholders through the following working groups:   

1. International Governance (Henri Verdier) - Strengthen coordination between AI stakeholders, with emphasis on bridging the gap between technical experts and regulatory bodies. Focus on creating effective communication channels and collaborative frameworks. This track will note the current fragmentation in AI governance, with only seven countries participating in major initiatives while 119 are absent. Aims to create an inclusive framework involving 70 partners across public and private sectors. 

2. Future of Work (Sana de Courcelles) - Development of proactive strategies and actionable recommendations to address emerging workforce transformations driven by AI. Emphasis on anticipating and preparing for future labor market changes. This track with examine AI's impact on labor markets, focusing on balancing productivity gains with worker wellbeing and safety. 

3. Security & Safety (Guillaume Poupard) - Building upon foundations established at Bletchley Park and Seoul Summits, with focus on developing shared security best practices and working toward standardised safety protocols. The initiative aims to establish consistent security frameworks across jurisdictions and stakeholders. This track builds on Bletchley Park and Seoul summits, developing open technical solutions and common standards for AI safety. Addresses cybersecurity risks and information manipulation. 

4. AI for General Interest (Martin Tisne) - Beyond showcasing applications, this initiative focuses on identifying necessary resources and infrastructure required for successful AI implementation. The work includes developing comprehensive strategies for deployment and ensuring equitable access and distribution of benefits. This track promotes development of AI applications serving public good, emphasising environmental protection and equal access across nations. 

5. Innovation and Culture (Roxanne Varza) - This workstream addresses the dual priorities of enhancing competitive advantage through AI innovation while managing intellectual property considerations in the AI landscape. The focus encompasses both fostering technological advancement and establishing appropriate frameworks for IP protection. This track emphasises rapid AI deployment across sectors, addressing intellectual property rights, cultural diversity, and media reliability. Plans include launching initiatives to make AI more accessible across languages and regions. 

Learn more about the AI Action Summit team and thematic envoys on the official website. 

Building on the Bletchley Park and Seoul summits, through discussions the Paris AI Summit is looking to address three key challenges: accelerating global AI development and adoption across all nations, managing the AI transition while protecting individual freedoms and ensuring inclusivity, and aligning AI with humanist values to direct it toward collective benefit and public interest. 

The summit's structure reflects an action-oriented approach, featuring specialised tracks on the future of work, trustworthy AI, public interest applications, innovation and culture, and global governance. More than 800 participants across five continents have contributed to these working groups over the last few months, ensuring diverse perspectives shape the outcomes. The initiative extends beyond traditional stakeholders, with 50 innovative projects being selected worldwide to demonstrate AI applications for sustainable development goals. 

The France summit seeks to balance technological advancement with European values, ensuring AI serves the general interest while preserving fundamental freedoms and democratic integrity. Additionally, the France summit aims to anchor inclusive and open technological innovation and diffusion within European perspectives of sovereignty and strategic autonomy. The summit aims to move beyond theoretical discussions to establish concrete frameworks for sustainable AI development that respects both human values and environmental constraints. 

The Paris AI Action Summit comes at a pivotal moment, following the UK Government's ambitious new AI strategy and the U.S. Government's announcement of $500 billion in private sector investment for AI infrastructure. These significant developments underscore the urgency of coordinated global dialogue on AI advancement and governance. 

The AI Action Summit Programming 

Activities during the Summit will be held under two streams of work. The first stream focuses on inclusive participation, featuring more than 100 global "Road to the Summit" events, guided by a steering committee representing over 30 countries. This branch emphasises practical impact through 50 public interest AI projects and 35 initiatives promoting the common good economy, ensuring the summit's benefits reach beyond theoretical discussion to tangible outcomes. 

The second stream manifests as AI Week, a comprehensive series of events from February 6-11, 2025. Beginning with a scientific conference at Institut Polytechnique de Paris featuring Nobel laureates, the week progresses through cultural exploration at BNF, examining AI's impact on arts and heritage. The main summit convenes at Grand Palais on February 10, bringing together global stakeholders for high-level discussions. 

The week concludes with Business Day at Station F on February 11, complemented by specialised events addressing AI's relationship with democracy at École Normale Supérieure and environmental considerations at the Ministry of Ecological Transition. A notable highlight includes a cyber crisis exercise engaging 250-300 AI experts in practical scenario management, demonstrating the summit's commitment to addressing both theoretical and practical challenges in AI development. 

What this means for the actual Summit programme is the following: 

•  February 6-7 focus on pre-engagements and core conference activities, including the IASEAI Conference at OECD. These sessions will lay the groundwork for technical and policy discussions. 

• February 8-9 shifts focus to AI's creative dimensions, exploring its impact on arts and culture through events like the Asia Society France gathering and Humane Intelligence sessions. This segment highlights AI's role in cultural innovation and creative expression. 

• Business Leaders Day on February 10 brings together 1,000-2,000 invited executives and entrepreneurs, featuring discussions on AI defense applications, literacy initiatives, and high-level networking events. 

• The summit culminates on February 11 with Government Officials Day, this will include Heads of State and Government attending a plenary session that will be held at the Grand Palais with international participants to discuss the key common actions to take on artificial intelligence.