France launches AI initiative with Morocco, Nigeria, and Kenya as founding members

France has partnered with eight countries, organizations, and companies to launch «Current AI», an ambitious initiative designed to promote artificial intelligence (AI) «of general interest». Announced on Sunday, February 9, just before the AI summit in Paris, this project has the backing of 11 tech sector leaders. The collaboration includes founding countries such as Morocco, Nigeria, Kenya, Chile, Finland, Germany, Slovenia, and Switzerland, as reported by AFP.

Prominent figures like Arthur Mensch from Mistral AI and Fidji Simo from Instacart are supporting «Current AI», which has already secured an initial investment of $400 million. The initiative aims to raise $2.5 billion over the next five years to enhance access to private and public databases in critical areas like health and education. Participants also include major companies such as Google, Salesforce, and AI Collaborative, the group associated with eBay founder Pierre Omidyar.

The project intends to allocate resources towards developing open-source infrastructures and tools to promote a more «transparent and secure» AI framework. It also seeks to create systems that can effectively evaluate the social and environmental impacts of AI technologies.

«Current AI will contribute to the development of our own artificial intelligence systems in France and Europe, aiming to diversify the market and foster global innovation», stated Emmanuel Macron in an official announcement.

This initiative's unveiling precedes the AI summit in Paris, scheduled for Monday and Tuesday, where political and economic leaders will convene to address the challenges posed by the swift evolution of AI technology.