“We believe that making AI more useful for everyone is the most important way to fulfill our mission. We are committed to being bold, ambitious in our research, and pursuing applications of AI. AI that are most useful to people around the world”, declared Sundar Pichai, CEO of Google in the preamble to this inauguration.
Citing Gemini, the generative AI model developed by Google, Sundar Pichai assures that the firm is addressing “AI responsibly, collaborating with governments, policy makers and other stakeholders.” Thus, the launch of this hub dedicated to artificial intelligence based in the heart of Paris, in the Google France premises in the 9th arrondissement, “reflects the will of the board of directors (Google board, editor’s note)”, he specifies.
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Paris, a hub for innovation?
According to Sundar Pichai, Paris has long been a hub for big ideas and technological progress, and is today “a global center of innovation”. Considering its French subsidiary as a “a center of attraction for technological talents, with more than 40 nationalities within our local engineering teams”, It is therefore quite natural that the giant decided to set up its AI hub in its Parisian premises.
This laboratory should bring together no less than 300 engineers and researchers from Google who will work here “on the next generation of advancements in AI”. In detail, we learn that the locations will notably host teams from Google DeepMind and Google Research, as well as engineers who develop flagship products like Chrome and YouTube.
The objective is to accelerate the development of products based on AI in France, to bring about new academic and research partnerships, and to train French professionals in AI tools. In these 6,000 m², 100,000 professionals will be trained in AI tools by the end of 2025, specifies Sundar Pichai.
Proof of the attractiveness of France
It will also be a place for the technology and research community as a whole. Sundar Pichai assures him, “we want to progress together, by working with French public and private research institutes.” And to add: “We will open our doors to researchers from all backgrounds, giving them access to powerful tools, such as the alpha database for protein structures (AlphaFold DB), and we will continue to invest in professional training and entrepreneurship” .
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For Bruno Le Maire, Minister of the Economy, Finance and Industrial and Digital Sovereignty, this investment by Google in France is a new demonstration of the “rediscovered attractiveness of Paris and France” for technology companies in Europe , particularly in terms of artificial intelligence. He also wished to recall that “the first French asset is a human asset” and that this is based on “the quality of our researchers, the quality of our scientists and our institutions”.
The FAIR and Kyutai laboratories already established in the territory
And on this point, we can only agree with him. Meta thus decided ten years ago to set up in Paris the largest entity of its FAIR (Fundamental AI Research) laboratory dedicated to artificial intelligence and more recently announced the installation of a start-up accelerator AI with Hugging Face and Scaleway.
At the same time, the latter's parent company, Iliad, unveiled a research laboratory on generative AI called Kyutai last November. This laboratory, which initially had a team of six researchers, is the result of a merger between Iliad and CMA CGM and the fund of Eric Schmidt (former CEO of Google) who all three financed to the tune of 100 million euros for the initiative.
A strategic rapprochement in France and Europe
The CEO of Google also did not hesitate to throw a few flowers at the French government. “The government's approach to innovation allows France to play a leading role in the field of AI,” he adds. A nod in reference to France's position regarding the AI Act, France preferring self-regulation rather than the path of European regulation for fear of restricting everyone's innovation in terms of artificial intelligence . Bruno Le Maire also had a word on this subject: “Europe's habit is to regulate before innovating. I am convinced that we must innovate before regulating.”
Earlier this week, Google also launched the AI Opportunity initiative to help people and businesses in Europe gain the skills they need for the digital economy. This initiative includes a Google fund to ensure that the most disadvantaged people are not left behind. Of the 25 million euros mentioned, 10 have already been committed to “equip workers with the skills they need to avoid being left behind.”
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