Undisputed defender of culture – he fought in particular to impose cultural exception in Brussels – Pascal Rogard, general director of the Society of Dramatic Authors and Composers (SACD), recalls that Paris had until now always defended copyright in European debates.
He protests against the fact that, when European legislation on artificial intelligence (AI) was adopted, this was not the case. In his eyes, France has given up this fight to please Mistral, the French “unicorn” specializing in AI. Paris found itself isolated and had to approve the European regulation on artificial intelligence.
You are one of the few to attack the French position taken before the adoption, in Strasbourg, of European legislation on artificial intelligence, on March 13. For what ?
As part of the trilogue with state representatives, Thierry Breton [commissaire européen chargé de la politique industrielle, du marché intérieur, du numérique, de la défense et de l’espace] proposed, with the support of the European Parliament, that artificial intelligence companies which train generative machines demonstrate transparency. That they be obliged to make known what had been used for their learning and reveal the list of data extracted.
Until now, in all matters related to copyright and the defense of creation, Brussels appeared proliberal, and France was in favor of the regulation and defense of creation. There, for the first time, the roles were reversed: that of the “good guy” was played by Thierry Breton, while the “bad guys” were Bruno Le Maire [ministre de l’économie] and Jean-Noël Barrot [ministre délégué chargé de la transition numérique sous le gouvernement Borne, entre 2022 et 2024]. France, the country that invented copyright, appeared with a reverse front, the opposite of what it has always defended. MM. The Mayor and Barrot abandoned the defense of copyright in the name of national digital development. But above all to please Mistral – one of the main French AI start-ups – whose lobbyist in Brussels is Cédric O, former minister responsible for digital technology.
To block the adoption of the AI regulation, France tried to create a blocking minority by seeking out the Germans, the Italians and other countries, but ultimately everyone walked away. We lived through a dismal period. France stood on its values, found itself largely isolated and ultimately had to approve the European regulation. It’s still very strange to have to rejoice that France is beaten… Thierry Breton was furious.
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