Very rare in Europe, Sundar Pichai, the general director of Google and Alphabet, is in Paris for the inauguration of a new hub dedicated to artificial intelligence. 300 researchers and engineers will design the innovations of tomorrow.
Is France really outdated in terms of artificial intelligence? According to Google, not so much. While local initiatives are multiplying (Mistral AI is making waves around the world, Xavier Niel wants to create a European giant with Kyutai), Google has chosen France to inaugurate a new artificial intelligence research center, located at 50 rue from Amsterdam to Paris (a few meters from its French headquarters). Well, new… It’s a new six-story building, but the 300 employees who will join it already worked for Google.
For this special occasion, Sundar Pichai made the trip. The boss of Google since 2015 (and of the Alphabet structure since 2019) had not come to France since 2016, during a conference at Sciences Po. His trip is proof that the creation of this hub is not so harmless. Obviously, his move is also political. Bruno Le Maire (Economy), Catherine Vautrin (Labour) and Valérie Pécresse (Île-de-France), in particular, came to meet him, in a context of regulation of GAFAM and French investments in AI. Everyone had the same message: Google is welcome in France and can experiment as it wishes.
300 researchers and engineers
What is the mission of the Google hub? In this new center dedicated to AI, several researchers and engineers will work on innovations intended to impact “billions of users around the world”, undoubtedly under the Gemini label (its new generative AI brand). The French Chrome and YouTube teams will be integrated into the hub, as will the DeepMind and Google Research teams.
With its French hub, Google also wants to make itself more attractive in France. The company plans to develop “new academic partnerships” And “train French professionals in AI tools”, notably by working with the CNRS and other institutes. In short, in the age of ChatGPT, AI is also a weapon of influence.
During the inauguration of the hub, Sundar Pichai praised French talents several times, while receiving praise from the public authorities. “We are here to do all the experiments you want to do” declared the Minister of Labor, while Bruno Le Maire, the Minister of the Economy, said he was against regulation. “When we regulate an innovation, it’s because we don’t control it.” Obviously, Sundar Pichai appreciated such statements, which are the opposite of the usual statements made by European politicians against Google.
After this inauguration, Sundar Pichai went to the Curie Institute. The continuation of his visit will be in Germany, where the CEO of Google will end his short European tour.
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