President Macron Embraces AI Revolution by Sharing Deepfake Video of Himself
French President Emmanuel Macron recently made waves by posting an AI deepfake video of himself on X and Instagram. The video features scenes from popular songs and movies and serves as a teaser for an upcoming event in Paris focused on exploring AI's potential to enhance society and living conditions. Macron will be hosting the AI Action Summit, scheduled for Monday and Tuesday.
In response to the deepfake video, Macron expressed, "It’s pretty well done, it made me laugh. More seriously, with artificial intelligence, we can do some very big things: change healthcare, energy, life in our society." He emphasised the importance of France and Europe being at the forefront of the AI revolution to leverage opportunities and uphold principles.
The video includes snippets from songs by Desireless and Nekfeu, along with a scene from a spy comedy featuring actor Jean Dujardin. Macron has been a vocal advocate for AI, believing it will be crucial for Europe's economic future. He highlighted the significance of AI in creating wealth and has been critical of cumbersome regulations in the EU that hinder innovation, causing Europe to lag behind the U.S. and China.
Addressing the need for regulatory reform, Macron stressed, "We have to focus on killing some crazy regulations, simplification of the current environment. Europe has to simplify its rules, make it much more business-friendly and synchronise with the U.S." This push for regulatory streamlining aligns with his vision of positioning Europe as a competitive player in the global AI landscape.
In a bid to strengthen its tech ecosystem, the EU recently announced a $56 million investment to develop its open-source AI model. This initiative aims to support researchers from specific companies and universities in creating a multilingual AI model capable of functioning across the EU's 30 languages. However, this funding amount falls short compared to the substantial $25 billion sought by OpenAI for its AI projects.
President Macron shared an AI deepfake video of himself to promote an upcoming AI event in Paris.
Macron believes AI is pivotal for Europe's economic future and advocates for regulatory simplification to boost innovation.
The EU is investing $56 million in its open-source AI model, aiming to enhance its tech ecosystem.
Source: FORBES