Scientists' conference kicks off global AI summit in Paris

Global experts began debating the threats and promise of artificial intelligence (AI) at a gathering in Paris on Thursday and Friday, ahead of a summit of world leaders on the fast-moving technology. Saturday and Sunday will see talks on AI's impact on culture before heads of state and government from around 100 countries and global tech industry leaders gather on Monday and Tuesday.

Paris plans to announce major investments running into the billions, including for new data centres on its territory. The government said Thursday it had 35 "ready-to-use" sites totalling 1,200 hectares on offer across the country. And civil service minister announced a chatbot tool similar to ChatGPT for France's 5.7 million public-sector workers.