A 'Third Way' in AI Innovation Says French President on France-India AI Alliance "We don't want to rely solely on U.S. and Chinese AI models. We want our own language models, data centers, and AI applications in France and India," French President Emmanuel Macron

Artificial Intelligence (AI) has undergone a paradigm shift in recent years, moving beyond research labs and closed-door discussions to becoming an integral part of daily life. The post-pandemic world has accelerated AI adoption across sectors, reinforcing its economic significance. According to a PwC report, AI technologies are projected to contribute USD 15.7 trillion to the global GDP by 2030, marking a 14 per cent increase in economic growth.

Recognising AI's transformative potential, nations worldwide are fostering cross-border collaborations. The ongoing Paris AI Summit, co-chaired by India, will discuss the global discourse on AI governance, ethics, and innovation.

France and India: a strategic AI alliance

French President Emmanuel Macron underscored the importance of Indo-French cooperation in AI, emphasising India's strength in talent development and engineering expertise. "India is a training superpower, producing over one million engineers annually—more than the entire U.S. and Europe combined," Macron told FirstPost.

This robust talent pipeline serves as the foundation for AI-driven economic growth and technological self-reliance. Macron highlighted that the France-India partnership extends beyond AI into defense, engineering training programs, and environmental initiatives, such as the International Solar Alliance, launched by Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

"We respect and want to work with the U.S. and China, but we want to depend on no one," Macron noted, reinforcing the commitment to technological sovereignty. "This is not about isolation but about building independent AI capabilities that we can trust."

A "third way" in AI leadership

Addressing the AI race, which is becoming a defining factor in global power dynamics and is currently dominated by the United States and China, Macron emphasised that France and India aim to establish a 'third way' in AI innovation—creating a strategic alternative to American and Chinese dominance.

"We don't want to rely solely on U.S. and Chinese AI models. We want our own language models, data centers, and AI applications in France and India," he explained.

Macron also highlighted the frugal AI model, stating: "Our AI models will be cleaner because our electricity is clean. We believe in frugal AI—specialized models that consume less energy while maintaining high efficiency."

During Prime Minister Narendra Modi's visit to the Paris AI Summit, India and France are set to announce a bilateral roadmap for collaboration in AI and establish a partnership for small modular nuclear reactors, alongside their existing cooperation in civil nuclear energy, defense, and space.