Synopsis
The second India-France AI Policy Roundtable, held in Paris on February 11, emphasized collaborative opportunities in AI governance and technology, aiming for mutual benefits at both bilateral and global levels by leveraging shared expertise.Key Takeaways
- Collaboration between India and France on AI policies.
- Focus on responsible AI development.
- Importance of techno-legal frameworks for governance.
- Need for democratized access to AI resources.
- Emphasis on sustainable AI practices.
Paris, Feb 11 (NationPress) The second India-France AI Policy Roundtable, conducted alongside the AI Action Summit 2025, underscored the significant potential for India and France to work together on various policy frameworks and technological initiatives, yielding advantages not only at the bilateral level but also on a global scale by utilizing complementary knowledge and skill sets.
The roundtable commenced with introductory remarks by Ajay Kumar Sood, India's Principal Scientific Adviser (PSA), who emphasized India's focus on global AI policy and governance. This includes responsible AI development and deployment, equitable benefit sharing, the establishment of a techno-legal framework for AI governance, seamless data flows, and collaboration on AI safety, research, and innovation.
Amit A. Shukla, Joint Secretary, Cyber Diplomacy Division, Ministry of External Affairs, and Henri Verdier, Ambassador for Digital Affairs, French Ministry for Europe and Foreign Affairs, provided co-chair remarks that highlighted the significance of DPI for AI, global AI governance, foundational AI models, and priority areas such as utilizing AI to tackle global challenges. They also discussed the issues surrounding cross-border data flows that lack arbitration mechanisms and the necessity for aligned perspectives on data sovereignty.
Participants at the roundtable stressed the importance of democratized access to AI resources, as well as capacity building, while acknowledging the critical role of techno-legal frameworks. They discussed the significance of sovereign AI models, ethical AI deployment, and the need to establish globally accepted terminologies and standards. There was also a consensus on the development of multilingual LLMs, federated AI computing infrastructure, and interoperable access to AI research, datasets, and high-performance computing resources.
Moreover, the meeting addressed significant discussions regarding collaboration between India and France. Suggested opportunities included the creation of indigenous foundational models and the adoption of a balanced governance strategy to mitigate risks while promoting innovation.
Sustainable AI and energy-efficient computing were emphasized, along with the critical importance of cross-border cooperation in AI research, datasets, and startups. The dialogue also explored AI's societal implications, data governance, and the role of global institutions in formulating AI safety frameworks.
The official event, titled '2nd India-France AI Policy Roundtable', took place at the Sciences Po Paris University campus on Tuesday and was orchestrated by the Office of the Principal Scientific Adviser (PSA) to the Government of India in collaboration with the Indian Institute of Science (IISc), Bengaluru, India AI Mission, and Sciences Po Paris.
This Second Roundtable built upon key objectives set during the First Roundtable organized at IISc, Bengaluru, during Technology Dialogue 2025 on January 25, 2025. The First Roundtable focused on inclusive AI frameworks, diverse datasets, infrastructure and skills, and foundational models. It addressed governance and innovation, public-private partnerships, sustainability and health, and academic and data collaboration. Both discussions highlighted ethical and responsible AI, along with sector-specific and long-term objectives.
