France’s Special Envoy for Artificial Intelligence, Anne Bouverot, has described 2026 as the “year of French-Indian innovation,” underlining the growing partnership between Paris and New Delhi in advancing the global artificial intelligence (AI) ecosystem.

Speaking to ANI during her visit to India, Bouverot highlighted the importance of collaboration between the two nations’ technology and start-up ecosystems ahead of the India-AI Impact Summit 2026.

Anne Bouverot expressed strong optimism about the alignment of AI visions between France and India, particularly in harnessing technology for public benefit. She noted that both countries share a belief that AI must serve people, communities, and citizens rather than remain an abstract technological pursuit. 

This alignment, she said, strengthens the foundation for deeper, long-term cooperation in ethical and inclusive AI development.

Bouverot stressed that France seeks to work closely with India in developing AI solutions tailored to the unique socio-cultural contexts of both nations. She identified agriculture, commerce, education, and healthcare as key sectors where such cooperation could lead to meaningful advancements.

By involving start-ups and research institutions from both sides, she said, the partnership could generate practical solutions addressing real-world challenges.

Referring to cultural inclusivity, Bouverot remarked that AI systems often reflect narrow cultural perspectives, noting how certain AI-generated images or language models represent only specific traditions.

She emphasised that India and France, both culturally rich and diverse nations, share the goal of developing AI technologies that better reflect multiple languages, traditions, and regional nuances. This, she added, would make AI more inclusive and contextually sensitive to societies beyond the dominant Western frameworks.

The India-AI Impact Summit 2026, announced earlier by Prime Minister Narendra Modi during the France AI Action Summit, will be held in New Delhi from 19 to 20 February 2026. It will be the first-ever global AI summit hosted in the Global South.

The event aims to translate political commitments into actionable frameworks that deliver tangible, measurable outcomes in AI policy, ethics, and technology development.

Positioned as a milestone in global cooperation, the India-AI Impact Summit builds upon previous high-level initiatives such as the UK AI Safety Summit, the AI Seoul Summit, the France AI Action Summit, and the Global AI Summit on Africa.

The upcoming summit is expected to strengthen multilateral AI cooperation through concrete deliverables, focusing on transparent governance, inclusivity, environmental sustainability, and human-centric innovation.

According to official information, the summit will seek to move beyond policy dialogues towards executable strategies and shared research investments. This shift reflects the growing international consensus that AI governance must prioritise equitable development and shared technological progress, especially for countries across the Global South.

Bouverot concluded by stressing the need to co-create AI systems that not only demonstrate technical excellence but also embody cultural and ethical understanding. By doing so, India and France can jointly promote an international AI framework that values diversity, responsibility, and genuine human advancement.

With the India-AI Impact Summit 2026 on the horizon, the year ahead promises to deepen strategic collaboration between India and France, positioning both nations as joint leaders in shaping the global dialogue on responsible and inclusive artificial intelligence.

Based On ANI Report