A global summit on artificial intelligence in Paris has opened with a sharp focus on the technology’s environmental and social impact. Emmanuel Macron’s AI envoy, Anne Bouverot, addressed the gathering at the Grand Palais, emphasising the immense energy and resources required to develop and operate AI. Political leaders, tech executives and experts from around the world are attending the two-day event.  

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Union leader warns of widening inequality 

Christy Hoffman, general secretary of UNI Global Union, cautioned that AI could exacerbate inequality if workers are not involved in shaping its deployment. Representing around 20 million workers across industries like retail, finance, and entertainment, the UNI has raised concerns about job displacement and the risks of AI-driven economic disparity.  

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Launch of Current AI to fund public-interest projects  

A significant development from the summit was the unveiling of Current AI, a collaborative initiative involving France, Germany, Google and Salesforce. With an initial investment of $400 million and a goal of reaching $2.5 billion over five years, the partnership aims to enhance AI accessibility by supporting open-source tools and high-quality data initiatives.  

Martin Tisne, the founder of Current AI, underscored the need for a public-interest focus to prevent AI from following the negative trajectory of social media. “We have to have learned the lessons,” he told Reuters.  

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France announces €109 billion private sector investment

French President Emmanuel Macron revealed that the country will secure €109 billion ($113 billion) in private sector AI investments during the summit. Clem Delangue, CEO of US-based AI company Hugging Face, called the investment a reassuring sign of France’s commitment to ambitious AI projects.  He said, “The size of this 100 billion euro investment reassured us, in a way, that there’s going to be ambitious enough projects in France.”

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Concerns over AI regulation and worker protections 

 Brian Chen, policy director at the US-based nonprofit Data & Society,  said, “What I worry about is that... there will be pressures from the US and elsewhere to weaken the EU’s AI Act and weaken those existing protections.”

Meanwhile, the International Labour Organization’s director-general, Gilbert F. Houngbo, raised concerns over AI-induced job shifts, cautioning that many displaced workers may end up in lower-paying, less secure jobs.  

Global Leaders and Tech giants in attendance 

Among the high-profile attendees are China’s Vice Premier Zhang Guoqing, Alphabet CEO Sundar Pichai, and OpenAI’s Sam Altman, signalling AI’s growing geopolitical and economic significance.

(With inputs from agencies)