Emmanuel Macron, the French President, and Rishi Sunak, the British Prime Minister, both expressed strong opinions about artificial intelligence. During his appearance at VivaTech in Paris, Macron declared €500 million ($560.1) of new investment in the formation of new AI "champions." The British government had already previously promised an amount of £1 billion ($1.3 billion) for supercomputing and AI exploration. Ultimately, who will gain success in the heated competition for AI supremacy will depend on different criteria.
Two countries are vying to be declared Europe's center for artificial intelligence. French President Emmanuel Macron and British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak have both made impressive statements about AI in recent weeks, seeking to create a powerful presence in the much-discussed sector. Macron told CNBC's Karen Tso at Viva Tech that they were number one on the continent and had to accelerate, while Sunak argued that the U.K. was the "geographical home of global AI safety regulations" during the London Tech Week conference.
The high profile of AI is due to its potential to revolutionize many aspects of society, thus becoming a strategic asset to nations all over the globe. The high profile of the technology has additionally been raised by the success of OpenAI, which has been supported by Microsoft, as well as the competition between the U.S. and China as they try to make use of AI's capabilities. So, which nation is in the lead for Europe's AI throne?
At VivaTech in Paris, Macron pledged half a billion euros ($562 million) to birth new AI "champions." This spending is additional to the government's prior promise to pump 1.5 billion euros into artificial intelligence by 2022, in a bid to keep up with U.S. and Chinese markets."We'll invest extensively in training and investigation," Macron told CNBC, and noted that France is in a great spot in AI because of its access to talent and its construction of startups surrounding the technology.In March, the U.K. government committed £1 billion ($1.3 billion) to AI and supercomputing research, while aiming to become a "science and technology superpower."
The government declared its intention to invest £900 million in constructing an "exascale" computer, which would create its own "BritGPT" to go up against OpenAI's generative AI chatbot. Nevertheless, numerous officers have voiced their concerns over the financial commitment, claiming it won't be enough for the U.K. to be able to compete with powerful nations such as the U.S. and China. During a fireside chat at London Tech Week, Sajid Javid, past government minister in former Prime Minister Boris Johnson's ministry, remarked "It sounds great but it's nowhere near where we need to be."
A marked distinction between the United Kingdom and France concerning the regulation of artificial intelligence is evident. The European Union has approved the AI Act, a set of laws specifically related to artificial intelligence in the West, and France will be bound to its regulations. On the other hand, the U.K. has opted not to issue AI-specific laws, instead issuing a white paper to advise industry regulators on how to enforce existing rules in their particular sectors. This foundation of principles is more welcome to innovation than the French approach, according to Minesh Tanna, global AI lead at Simmons & Simmons.
He went on to explain that, post-Brexit, the UK has a chance to encourage investment in AI due to its ability to fine-tune regulation in order to attract investment. In comparison, Tanna believes that France's AI Act - which entails a complex regulatory regime - could make it less appealing for potential investors.
Anton Dahbura of the Johns Hopkins Institute for Assured Autonomy remarked to CNBC that France has a viable opportunity to assume the mantle of leader in Europe, but it's up against a tough rival in Germany and the U.K. Alexandre Lebrun, CEO of Nabla, a doctor-oriented AI "copilot", commented that for founding an AI business, the U.K. and France are evenly matched in terms of attractiveness. He mentioned to CNBC that a plethora of talent, AI research centers from tech giants such as Google and Facebook, and a viable local economy are all reasons why this is the case. Though Lebrun did caution that the EU AI Act might make it difficult for startups to construct AI in the EU, if the U.K. introduces a wise law, it could triumph in comparison to France or the EU. However, there has been some dispirited responses from industry sources, criticizing the country as a nonviable location for high tech entrepreneurs. Keir Starmer, leader of the opposition Labour party, declared at London Tech Week that a spate of political occurances in the country has impacted investor perceptions on tech in a negative manner.
Many investors have told me that they do not currently invest in the U.K., due to the lack of political clarity and certainty, Starmer remarked. Claire Trachet, the CFO of the French tech startup YesWeHack, stated that both France and the U.K. are capable of challenging the authority of the U.S. AI giants, but that this will require cooperation across Europe as much as competition amongst the different hubs. She went on to explain that a "concerted and collective effort" from the European tech giants, particularly in collaboration with Germany, "could allow them to create a compelling alternative in the next 10-15 years that disrupts the AI landscape", yet this would necessitate a strongly strategic vision coupled with a team-oriented focus.
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