Clara Chappaz, former CEO of La French Tech, has been appointed as the country's first-ever Secretary of State for AI and Digitalisation in Michel Barnier’s cabinet. The appointment is part of the French government's intent to position itself as a global leader in AI innovation and technology.
Chappaz previously led the government’s start-up initiative La French Tech, a company which aims to ‘support the development of the French Tech ecosystem, the French movement of innovative technology start-ups, in line with government priorities and in the image and service of the French people.’ In her three years of service, she has created an optional parity pact which has been signed by over 700 start-ups to date. It seeks to reduce key issues in the workplace by asking companies to adhere to a minimum quota of 20 percent women on the board of directors and setting up mandatory diversity and inclusion training for managers.
This decision to instate a secretary for AI and digitization reflects President Emmanuel Macron’s ambition to establish Paris as the "city of AI." The country is taking steps to establish itself as a leader in this industry, competing with other global tech powerhouses. In 2023 France created a national AI strategy committing to investing €500 million in the creation of AI clusters by 2030. Additionally, following the previous International AI Summits that took place in the United Kingdom and Seoul, the 2025 summit will be hosted in France.
In Europe the rapid rise of AI has raised concerns about ethical considerations, data privacy, and job automation. In her 2023 State of the Union Address, Ursula Von Der Leyen and the EU commission launched ‘a package of measures to support European startups and SMEs in the development of trustworthy Artificial Intelligence (AI) that respects EU values and rules,’ stressing the importance of financed, regulated and accessible AI and tech developments.
As the European Union is actively working on establishing regulations to balance technological growth with the protection of human rights, data security, and fair competition, France is following suit. The creation of the role that will offer some critical insight to AI developments comes amidst previously growing concerns from Tech companies and professionals when Macron called snap elections in July 2024, noting that political instability may allow developments in AI and technology to be destabilised by far right or left political organisations.
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