Can we catch up with China and the United States?, Crazy AI! Paris and London compete for the European Artificial Intelligence Center, UK | Artificial Intelligence | Europe

Release time:Apr 13, 2024 22:28 PM

In the current wave of artificial intelligence sparked by ChatGPT, the two major economies in Europe, the UK and France, are fiercely competing for leadership in the AI center.

Last week, the largest technology summit in France, Vivatech, was held in Paris, attracting over 150000 people to participate on-site, with artificial intelligence becoming the biggest highlight. Whether from startups, mature technology companies, or the beauty and banking industries, "artificial intelligence is on everyone's lips" among the attendees.

French President Macron is personally promoting France to become the artificial intelligence center of Europe. He said on Vivatech, "I believe France ranks first in the field of artificial intelligence on the European continent, and we must accelerate our pace."

Recently, a start-up company in Paris, founded only four weeks ago, announced that it has received over $100 million in seed funding to build large-scale language models and generative AI behind applications like ChatGPT. The founding members of this French company called Mistral Artificial Intelligence come from DeepMind, a subsidiary of Google, and Meta, the parent company of Facebook. CEO Mensch has worked at DeepMind's Paris office, while the other two co founders have worked at Meta's AI laboratory in Paris.

Providing funding to such a young startup without any clients is a huge adventure, but the French have projected their love for adventure into this promising future.

France will "crazily invest" in the AI field

Macron stated that France will invest "crazily" in the training and research of artificial intelligence. He said, "France is in a favorable position in the field of artificial intelligence because it can acquire talent and has many startups in the field of artificial intelligence technology."

Mistral AI is just one of them. The company is expected to launch its first AI product next year, with a current valuation of over 200 million euros. Mistral hopes to use this funding to build a "world-class team" and establish an open source model.

Currently, the United States and China still hold technological and scale advantages in the global competition in the field of artificial intelligence. France hopes to narrow the gap and build two or three "global giants" in the field of AI technology by investing more in AI.

Within Europe, France also faces fierce competition in the field of artificial intelligence, especially challenges from the UK. Last week, British Prime Minister Sunak boldly proposed positioning London as the technology center of the AI industry at London Technology Week and urged industry practitioners to seize the opportunity of artificial intelligence.

Although the technology and market size are not as large as those in the United States, Europe is taking a leading position in artificial intelligence regulation. Last week, the EU's AI bill was passed by the European Parliament, clearing the main obstacles for its official entry into force. This is also the first regulation worldwide to extensively regulate artificial intelligence.

The UK and France are also competing for the high ground in AI security regulation. The UK has planned to hold a global artificial intelligence security summit in the second half of this year and discuss how to mitigate these risks through international collaborative actions. In his speech at London Technology Week last week, Sunak stated, "We must not only make the UK a 'home of knowledge' for AI, but also a 'geographical home' for AI security regulation."

The UK hopes to balance technological development and ethics while placing the AI technology industry at the core of economic development. In March of this year, the UK chose to allocate the regulatory responsibility of AI to multiple different institutions, rather than creating a new institution specifically responsible for regulating artificial intelligence technology.

France has also stated that although there is competition among countries, the development of artificial intelligence technology requires coordinated global regulation, including cooperation with the UK and the US. "I believe that fair competition between the United States and Europe, as well as cooperation on some key equipment, are beneficial for both parties." French Finance Minister Bruno Le Maire said during Vivatech, "In terms of regulation, I believe it is crucial to have in-depth discussions with the United States on the best way to regulate artificial intelligence."

Investing in the UK or France?

Industry insiders have different opinions on the respective advantages of the UK and France in the field of artificial intelligence, as well as how Chinese AI companies should make choices when investing in Europe.

"I think Paris' advantages are significant, first and foremost because France has at least two AI related plans, which are heavily subsidized by the government, and Macron personally leads the development of artificial intelligence. France's emphasis on technology has a historical heritage, and its scientific education is also world-class, especially in mathematics. In recent years, France has invested heavily in cloud computing and quantum technology, and has given birth to several large European IT service companies, such as Kaijie Consulting, financial service enterprise sopra, and Yuanxun."

Dai Pu believes that the UK is not completely without advantages, especially in terms of attractive tax and regulatory frameworks, and is very suitable for the development of financial services ecosystems and other fields. However, Brexit also makes it difficult for the government to obtain funding from the EU.

"France can undoubtedly obtain more funding from the EU level, which highlights its advantages and will further expand," he told First Financial reporters. He also mentioned Germany, "Germany is close to perfection in traditional technology and engineering manufacturing, but has no special attraction for the development of new technologies."

Zhang Junyi, Managing Partner of New York based consulting firm Aowei Consulting, told First Financial reporters, "The UK and France have different advantages. For example, in terms of language, the UK's advantage is definitely more significant, and compared to France, there are more technical students studying in China. However, Brexit is indeed a 'hard hit' for investors."

Musk may have a clear inclination

At present, giants including technology tycoon Elon Musk have also stated that they will consider investing and cooperating in more technology fields in France. After meeting with Musk during the Vivatech conference, Macron posted a group photo of the two on Twitter and wrote in English, "Let's work together."

Last Friday, Musk also had lunch with Bernard Arnault, CEO of French luxury goods giant LVMH Group, at the Cheval Blanc restaurant under the luxury goods group. The combined total assets of the two world's richest people exceed $426 billion. Musk's mother Mayer and Arnold's two sons also attended lunch together.

"If France wants to establish a foothold in the field of artificial intelligence, it needs to use this technology to build in its powerful economic sectors, such as the biotechnology or luxury goods industries," an investor familiar with France told First Financial News.

"After a comprehensive evaluation of the investment factors in London and Paris, we are increasingly inclined to invest in France, mainly considering that the overall business environment in France seems to be more friendly to Chinese companies," said the founder of a Chinese AI data technology company that is considering investing in Europe to a reporter from First Financial

The French Agency for Commerce and Investment recently released a report on foreign investment in France to create employment, which shows that France is at the forefront of attracting research and innovation in Europe. In 2022, France attracted 144 R&D center projects from around the world in the manufacturing sector, a year-on-year increase of 8%. The report also stated that 64% of foreign investors believe that France is more attractive than other European countries in terms of technological leadership.

"France is globally recognized as a place of innovation, and R&D and innovation activities play an important role in the French economy. One fifth of foreign enterprises' R&D investment in Europe is in France." Pascal Cagney, Chairman of the Board of Directors of the French Agency for Commerce and Investment and Ambassador for International Investment of France, recently stated, "Global technology industry giants are increasing their investment in France year by year, which will also promote the transformation of the French economy."

It is reported that China has also continued to become France's largest source of Asian investment.

However, some industry insiders have pointed out that France's development in emerging technologies such as AI is constrained by some external factors. "France is still dominated by large state-owned enterprises in many fields, and there may still be some bureaucratic phenomena. The UK will be better in these areas," said Zhang Junxian, a partner at PwC China, to a reporter from First Financial.

Two women were stabbed to death and reported to have committed a crime 4 days before the follow-up visit for schizophrenia. Suspect of a bloody murder case in a Hong Kong shopping mall appeared in court today. Male | Last Friday | Murder case

According to Hong Kong's Wen Wei Po, a bloody knife stabbing case occurred at Hollywood Square in Diamond Hill last Friday. The police arrested a 39 year old man on suspicion of stabbing two young women, one of whom was stabbed over 30 times. The suspect appeared in the Kwun Tong Magistrates Court this morning. The police at the Kwun Tong Magistrate's Court temporarily charged the suspect with two counts of murder last Sunday. The suspect appeared in court this morning at the Kwun Tong Magistrate's Court. Acting Chief Magistrate Zheng Jihang, after listening to the opinions of both the prosecution and defense, decided to postpone the hearing for two weeks until 9:30 am on June 19th, waiting for two psychiatric expert reports to be obtained. The defense did not object. Zheng Jihang approved the application, and the defendant needs to be temporarily detained at Xiaolan Mental Hospital. When the suspect appeared in court, he wore black framed glasses, a light gray shirt, and camouflage green shorts, and was able to answer the judge's questions normally. accordingly

Currently, the highly anticipated summer harvest work in Henan has shifted its focus to the northern region of Henan. According to the Henan Daily client, on June 4th, Lou Yangsheng, Secretary of the Henan Provincial Party Committee, presided over a special video scheduling meeting on the "Three Summers" work in the province, listened to the situation report, analyzed and judged the situation, and arranged and deployed the next steps of work. Governor Wang Kai made specific arrangements. On the evening of May 31, 2023, in Xiafutou Village, Xuliang Town, Boai County, Jiaozuo, Henan Province, villagers braved light rain in the wheat fields to harvest wheat. Visual China Map Lou Yangsheng pointed out that the current summer harvest battle in the province has entered the decisive stage. Doing a good job in summer harvest in northern Henan Province is related to the summer grain yield and seed safety. We should focus on seizing opportunities and make every effort to organize the wheat harvesting work in the northern Henan region, minimize losses, and protect the interests of farmers to the greatest extent possible. Accurate forecasting is essential

Xinhua All Media+| Welcome home! What innovative technologies are protecting the return journey of Shenzhou 15? Spaceship | Shenzhou | Technology

On June 4th, the return capsule of the Shenzhou-15 manned spacecraft successfully landed at the Dongfeng landing site. Astronauts Fei Junlong, Deng Qingming, and Zhang Lu all safely and smoothly exited the spacecraft, and the Shenzhou-15 manned flight mission was a complete success. What innovative technologies are there to safeguard the return journey of Shenzhou 15 in this mission? On June 4th, the return capsule of the Shenzhou-15 manned spacecraft successfully landed at the Dongfeng landing site. Xinhua News Agency reporter Lian Zhen photographed that "the sky and the ground" ensure the high-precision return of spacecraft. For the Shenzhou series spacecraft, the return and re-entry GNC technology is directly related to the life safety of astronauts. Taking the success of this return mission as a symbol, China has comprehensively upgraded its GNC system since the Shenzhou-12 manned spacecraft, which features autonomous rapid rendezvous and docking, autonomous adaptive prediction and re-entry return guidance, and has completed a comprehensive update and replacement

The Chinese naval fleet has arrived! Assembly | Navy | Chinese Fleet

At noon today, a Chinese naval fleet consisting of Zhanjiang and Xuchang ships arrived at the assembly area of the "Comodo-2023" multinational maritime joint exercise. It is understood that the assembly anchorage for this exercise is 3 nautical miles long and 1.5 nautical miles wide, capable of anchoring up to 50 ships. Naval vessels from various countries participating in the exercise will also arrive at the anchorage today to complete the assembly of the "Komodo 2023" multinational maritime joint exercise, which is held every two years by the Indonesian Navy. This year is already the fourth edition of the exercise. The exercise will be held from June 5th to 8th in the city of Jakarta, South Sulawesi Province, Indonesia, including the port and sea phases. In the coming days, participating navies from various countries will participate in ship reading style search and rescue exercises, maritime interception and damage management exercises, aerial exercises, and other course objectives exercises

New comment: Donkey like "morale" limit pulls US debt "bomb" fuse hard to dismantle US | debt | morale

On the evening of June 1st, the US Senate passed a bill on the federal government's debt ceiling and budget, and the flame of the US debt bomb was temporarily extinguished at the last moment. The two parties in the United States have staged an extreme tug of war over the US debt bomb. Some experts believe that the US debt crisis is the result of the reckless politics promoted by the US dollar hegemony, and the underlying cause of this crisis is the highly polarized political system of the US. Since the end of World War II, the US Congress has adjusted the debt ceiling more than a hundred times. The recurring debt crisis will not only have a catastrophic impact on the US economy and people's livelihoods, but also continuously erode the value of US dollar assets such as government credit and US bonds, bringing significant and far-reaching impacts to the global economic landscape. 【

Important news

The boundless scenery is always new-General Secretary Xi Jinping guides the construction of digital society, review and development | education | society Unswervingly Promote and Improve the Comprehensive and Strict Party Governance System Xi Jinping | Strict Party Governance | System "Seeking Truth" magazine published an important article by General Secretary Xi Jinping "Improving the Comprehensive and Strict Party Governance System and Promoting the New Great Project of Party Building in the New Era to Develop in Depth" State | President | Xi Jinping General Secretary's thoughts are still in my mind, learning from the season | building a modern marine ranching power | developing | the ocean Leading the way with a heavy load | More vitality in opening up to the outside world, stronger momentum in science and technology innovation - Strong development momentum in the ancient capital of Xi'an Automotive | New energy | Opening up to the outside world Chinese Stars | 210 Seconds Review of the Victory of Aerospace Heroes on their Way Home! Flying | Divine Boat | Hero

Political situation

What are the remaining obstacles in the investigation and undercover investigation by the law enforcement inspection team of the Municipal People's Congress? This work evaluates that Shanghai has always been at the forefront of garbage classification | garbage | law enforcement Looking forward to the global high-quality engineering enterprise layout in Shanghai, Mayor Gong Zheng meets with the President elect of the World Federation of Engineering Organizations | Global | Quality To jointly discuss and deepen cooperation and exchange in counterpart support, Chen Jining and Nie Zhuang led a discussion on the work of the party and government delegation in Kashgar, Xinjiang Chen Jining and Gong Zheng jointly inspected and discussed, jointly serving the overall development of the country! Yin Li and Yin Yong led a Beijing delegation to Shanghai to inspect the delegation's development and overall situation Contributed about 1/4 of the GDP of Shanghai, currently with 70000 foreign-funded enterprises in Shanghai. The Youth Association of Shanghai Foreign Countries has helped each other in terms of membership and GDP The representative group of Yangpu Street helps to alleviate public concerns, with garbage belts turning back into green belts and street lights lighting up again in residential areas | Representative | Yangpu

Economics

What else can I rely on for growing vegetables?, Agricultural Experiment of a Group of Young People: Lettuce without Heaven or Earth | Physical Strength | Agriculture Very few have been rejected at once... Shanghai Automotive Engine Factory has presented 49 automotive grade chips to solicit domestic alternatives to SAIC | Netherlands | United States | Lingang Pujiang International Science and Technology City | Substitution | Import | Localization | Automotive grade chips Is there still a "flower head" in domestic blockchain?, No Bitcoin, First Blockchain Technology National Standard Released Web3.0 | Blockchain | Domestic These top domestic and international beverage cold drink brands have rolled up like this, in order to welcome the overall recovery of the consumer market as a brand | Sugar Tea | International Making a dojo inside a snail shell allows the city's scraps to make a comeback. This European style garden in Shanghai used to be a "stone" on the road. Shanghai Pocket Park | Sparrow Little Dirty | Making a dojo inside a snail shell 23 industry associations (business and academic) in the Yangtze River Delta have established alliances to provide trade adjustment assistance, and the foreign trade situation is complex and severe. | Trade | Alliance

Regional situation

Shanghai Charity Foundation Successfully Issued First Electronic Donation Receipt Community | Activity | Shanghai Charity Foundation Carry out normalized social theater performance activities, and the "hometown of drama" Songjiang Xinbang will resume stage and social theater | Drama | Songjiang Xinbang How to promote and replicate the "near rail model"? Changfeng Xincun Street Building Party Building 4.0 Model | Building Committee | Jintie The largest single scale near zero energy consumption building in Shanghai will be built, and the construction area of the first batch of "Jiabao Smart Bay" in Jiading New City will start | plot | first batch Jing'an creates "one park, one theme", and the art exhibition "Painting Life and Coloring" opens at Jing'an Sculpture Park to experience | Art | Jing'an The highlights of the Xuhui exhibition area at the first Carbon Expo are frequent, including waste plastic recycling and environmental protection roads, Shanghai's first near zero carbon community, low-carbon | green | community

Viewpoint

"White carbon" is on the rise, and there are many colors of carbon? This is definitely not sensationalism, carbon dioxide emissions, color Where does the trend go: "China-Chic" cultural and creative market status, development trend and innovation path Cultural and creative | Chinese goods | China-Chic He demonstrated the essence of the revolutionary ideology and spiritual qualities of communists, and during his brief 40 years of life, Secretary Yu Xiusong's ideology What is the relationship between the "four major functions" and the "five centers"? Accurately grasp these two key elements | functions | relationships Why mention "Clean Your Plate Campaign" again?, Today's life | leftovers | CDs To find the balance between digitization and greening, experts say that excessive digitization may increase energy consumption. Digital | Green | Digitization

Vision

Celebrating the Second Anniversary of the US Army's Withdrawal, [Looking at the World] Afghan Taliban Armed Security Personnel March Typhoon | Taliban | Afghanistan It's more convenient to buy book exhibition tickets offline today, including ID card, cash, and old-fashioned mobile phones. Lu Xun | Book Exhibition | Mobile Phone These spaces create multiple interactive viewing experiences for citizens and tourists, playing with weekend aesthetics | Design | Citizens The opening ceremony will continue as usual. [Looking at the World] The opening match of the Women's World Cup. A shooting occurred in Auckland City, resulting in three deaths. The World Cup | Event | Opening match World Blood Donor Day: Oriental Pearl TV Tower, Shanghai center and other city landmarks light up Life Red World Blood Donor Day Take the artwork home for a thousand yuan? Many people come to this exhibition for their "treasure hunting" works | gallery | to take home