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From Seoul to Paris: on the road to AI that serves the public interest

Published: 17 Jan. 2025, 00:00

Philippe Bertoux

The author is the ambassador of France to the Republic of Korea.

Artificial intelligence (AI) is more than an industrial and technological revolution. It has the potential to bring about a profound paradigm shift in our societies, in how we relate to knowledge, work, information, culture and even language. It is a political and civic issue that requires intense international dialogue among the planet’s leaders, researchers, businesses and civil society. Nowhere is this more on display than in the Republic of Korea, where AI has become an everyday feature in people’s lives. The Republic of Korea has played a leading role in this field, cohosting, with the United Kingdom, the Seoul AI Summit in May 2024, a two-day event aimed at strengthening AI safety, innovation and inclusivity.

Shouldering the responsibility of building on the momentum generated from last year's summit, France will host the AI Action Summit on Feb. 10 and 11 this year, bringing together nearly a hundred heads of state or government and a thousand civil society actors from some 100 countries to Paris.

The question we all face, as users around the world, startups or large corporations, researchers and policymakers, is ultimately a simple one: How do we get the AI transition right?

We must enable AI to fulfill its initial promise of progress and empowerment in a context of shared trust that addresses the risks inherent to technological development.

Ahead of the summit and its outcomes, we are focusing on three tangible priorities.

First, access to AI must be guaranteed for everyone, so that each person in the world can benefit from AI and develop new ideas to realize the full potential of the technologies. In order to reduce the growing digital gap and curb the excessive concentration of the AI sector, we are launching a large-scale public interest AI initiative led by both public and private stakeholders in order to foster the development and sharing of computing power, structured datasets, open tools and training for the talents of tomorrow.

Second, we must together prepare the two major transitions of our time: the environmental transition and the technological transition. While AI will, without a doubt, make a full contribution to fighting climate change and protecting ecosystems, it is currently on an untenable pathway when it comes to energy use. The latest forecasts suggest that the energy needs of the AI sector will be 10 times higher in 2026 than they were in 2023. That is not sustainable. In response, an international and multistakeholder coalition for sustainable AI will be launched at the summit, to deepen research into the technologies’ environmental impact, evaluate models on that basis, define new standards and increase green investment.

Finally, we need to collectively design an effective and inclusive governance framework for AI. The first challenge is that of substance: The agenda of international AI governance must be broad and not be limited to ethics and safety issues. Other areas are of key importance, including the protection of fundamental freedoms, intellectual property, fighting market concentration and access to data. The second challenge is that of method, which must be determinedly collective. Everybody talks about the inclusiveness of AI governance, but today it is but a mirage. For example, only seven countries are truly participating in the major international AI initiatives, and 119 are totally absent. Moreover, private stakeholders and civil society also need to be closely involved to together define a common international AI governance architecture.

France is not alone on the path to this summit, accompanied by over 700 public and private partners, researchers and NGOs worldwide over recent months. The role of the Republic of Korea will be decisive, thanks to cutting-edge technology, a plethora of academics and substantial experience garnered by national authorities. Indeed, leading up to the summit, the Republic of Korea has played a crucial part in fashioning key deliverables, in particular on fostering trust in AI, and has been instrumental in all five working groups — governance, trust in AI, the future of work, the common good, innovation and culture.

No subject will be skirted around, and a wide range of topics will be discussed: the future of work, frugal AI, the safety of models, innovating ecosystems, the protection of privacy and the need for linguistic — and therefore, cultural — diversity.

We are counting on the support of the Republic of Korea as a global AI powerhouse, an esteemed partner and a key facilitator in the multilateral field. You are all invited to accompany us on the path to the AI Action Summit, so that together we can build, in an atmosphere of trust, an AI at the service of all, for a prosperous, more open and more inclusive world.