Third International AI Summit in Paris: €109 Billion Investment, ‘Notre-Dame Strategy’, and Macron Deepfakes for Promotion

French President Emmanuel Macron said the day before, on the opening day of the Third International AI Summit in Paris, organised jointly with India, that today, on the second day of the event, a European AI strategy would be presented.

Speaking in English, he said that ‘we will adopt the Notre Dame de Paris strategy’ for AI projects that saw France rebuild the famous cathedral in just five years after a devastating fire in 2019. 

‘We have shown the rest of the world that when we commit ourselves to a clear timeframe, we can achieve results,’ Macron said.

He also repeatedly mentioned that France is investing €109 billion in artificial intelligence projects. President Emmanuel Macron called this a cardinal condition before the global AI summit in Paris. He described the investment as ‘the equivalent for France of the US announcing Stargate,’ referring to the $500 billion OpenAI programme.

To promote the event, he posted fake AI-generated videos of himself in various roles, demonstrating the technology's potential. In one scene, Macron dances to the 1980s hit ‘Voyage Voyage’ by French singer Desireless.

In another video, his face is inserted into a spy comedy about the exploits of a French secret agent, played by Jean Dujardin. In the third part of the dipfake, Macron sings a rap song and demonstrates his moves, showing off the French artist Nekfeu.

‘Well done,’ the real Macron, who wore a suit and tie, said in the video.

‘But more seriously, with artificial intelligence, we can do very big things: change healthcare, energy, life in our society,’ the 47-year-old French president said.

‘France and Europe must be at the centre of this revolution to take advantage of every opportunity and to promote our principles,’ Macron added.