France has been expressing its reservations about the European AI Act, which has been making progress step by step. Despite the legislative process nearing completion, France remains critical of the proposed European regulation on artificial intelligence (AI). According to the Minister of the Economy, Bruno Le Maire’s office, there are still a few points that they find problematic. This message was conveyed by French representatives at the meeting of the Council of twenty-seven member states on January 24. The legislative process of the AI Act is almost finished, and on February 2, the countries are expected to vote on the ratification of the text. However, Paris is maintaining pressure by stating that “France’s position is not yet finalized,” which has raised concerns among cultural industries. Since June 2023, France has been repeating that certain provisions of the text could hinder innovation and European AI start-ups seeking to compete with American counterparts like OpenAI and Google.
Paris has maintained its criticisms, even after the political agreement was reached on December 8, 2023, in Brussels between the Parliament, Council, and Commission. The French President, Emmanuel Macron, had previously expressed his thoughts, stating, “It is not a good idea to regulate foundational models more than other countries.” He was referring to large software capable of generating text or images, which are used by services like the conversational robot ChatGPT. The French government, particularly Bercy, has tried to influence the technical meetings to address their concerns. However, these meetings concluded on January 19, leaving Paris still on the offensive.
One of the key points of contention for France is related to copyright. The French Cabinet of the Economy Minister argues that other means should be found to enforce copyright without disclosing the trade secrets of AI models. According to the text, manufacturers will have to publish a “sufficiently detailed summary” of the data used to train their software. This summary will allow rights holders to verify if their texts or images are included and request their removal or negotiate compensation. However, after companies like Mistral AI complained about having to reveal their “trade secrets” to competitors, a mention of respecting “business secrets” was introduced. The Ministry of the Economy sees this as a step in the right direction but would like to see further changes, especially in the application procedures.
France proposes that the data summary be shared only with a “trusted third party,” such as the future “European AI Office.” This office would provide information to rights holders upon request. France had already suggested this idea in late December 2023, but it was not accepted. The ongoing concerns and the potential impact on innovation have caught the attention of industries and stakeholders.
As the debate continues, France’s position remains uncertain, casting a shadow over the upcoming vote on the AI Act. The exact outcome and potential compromises are yet to be seen, but France’s criticism highlights the broader discussions surrounding the management and regulation of AI at the European level. Only time will tell how these concerns will be addressed and what impact the AI Act will have on the future of AI development and innovation in Europe.
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