In both China and the United States, the rush to develop artificial intelligence is often viewed through a Cold War lens: as an arms race between two rival superpowers.
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But France – and Europe more broadly – aims to break out of this model. It is pursuing a “collaborative approach” to developing AI, and that means it is willing to work closely with both Beijing and Washington on key issues.
In an interview with the Post, the French consul general in Hong Kong, Christile Drulhe, said that although “each country would like to develop its own ecosystem”, they share “a lot of common interests” when it comes to AI.
“How do we regulate AI technologies at the international level to avoid potential risks for mankind?” she said. “How can we help scientists or start-ups from around the world drive progress by sharing open-source technologies?”
France is not shying away from competition. It has set a national strategy of positioning itself as an “AI powerhouse”, and in February the French government announced it would invest €109 billion (US$118 billion) on AI infrastructure projects.
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Meanwhile, the US-China rivalry has continued to intensify. Washington has launched a string of measures to curtail China’s access to cutting-edge semiconductors, while Beijing has placed export curbs on some of the minerals US companies need to make those chips.