Why France is right to make AI a national priority

I’ve just read a fascinating interview in Wired with Emmanuel Macron, in which the French President talks about his country’s artificial intelligence strategy. I’m not interested in discussing Macron’s policies per se, simply in pointing out that it is refreshing to see a leader discussing a vital topic like artificial intelligence, setting priorities to develop it and understanding what is at stake for his country and its importance in generate wealth not in the future, but right now. Macron notes in the interview, “ this huge technological revolution is in fact a political revolution,” meaning a debate is essential to manage and position with respect to it, instead of simply ignoring it as, sadly, by either inability, short-termism or ignorance, most politicians around the world are doing.

The French president outlines health and transport as key priorities and where artificial intelligence will be disruptive. Redesigning healthcare systems to cope with managing huge amounts of data, while moving toward a preventive approach will be vital and will not necessarily prove more expensive: health systems oriented toward prevention will reduce costs, derived, among other things, from the possibility of treating illnesses in their early stages: in addition to greater efficiency, focusing on prevention can mean a healthier population, an approach that, for the moment, only China, which aims to be the absolute leader in artificial intelligence, seems be taking.

Transport is an arguably more pressing issue where AI has a vital role to play. Autonomous vehicles will reduce congestion, air pollution and traffic accidents. France’s strong transport sector needs to align with government objectives if it is to remain competitive.

The French government is prepared to put its money where its mouth is when it comes to developing artificial intelligence: €1.5 billion is to be spent on setting up laboratories and research centers, along with projects and financing for startups and companies working in this field. The idea is to stop the flight of talent that has given the lead in artificial intelligence to China and the United States, and to draw up an agenda to attract the companies in the field to France ( Microsoft, Samsung, Fujitsu or DeepMind, have already announced projects in France). Macron believes it is essential to develop the skills France needs to be able to compete with China and the United Statesand stop the likes of Google and Apple from luring the country’s talent away.

Artificial intelligence will eclipse Moore’s law as the key innovation driver. We now have to rethink how we are going use artificial intelligence to the full, how to incorporate it into our products and services and avoid being left behind. Understanding what artificial intelligence can and cannot do for our companies is the fundamental task facing all managers at the moment: many will experience the AI productivity paradox during which it will be difficult to justify the investments in terms of pure profitability, but that will be a mere blip: artificial intelligence is the only way to go. For businesses in just about every sector, that will mean the difference between being competitive or not, and in international terms, what Emmanuel Macron clearly understands is that AI will mean even more.

(En español, aquí)