Macron announces billions of AI investment ahead of Paris summit

French President Emmanuel Macron announced on Sunday night that France is set to receive a total investment of 109 billion euros in artificial intelligence (AI) in the coming years. Speaking in a televised interview on public television channel France 2, Macron described the investment as the "equivalent for France of what the United States announced with 'Stargate'." 

He noted that the fund will come from the United Arab Emirates, major American and Canadian investment funds, as well as French companies. Addressing concerns over China's DeepSeek, Macron said that France has no plan to ban it at the moment. Macron adding that France does not share the U.S. approach of restricting technologies due to its nationality while accepting others. 

Amid rapid global advancement in AI, France will host the AI Action Summit in Paris on Feb. 10 and 11. The summit will focus on five major themes: Public Interest AI, Future of Work, Innovation and Culture, Trust in AI, and Global AI Governance.