India-France AI summit held, highlights need for ethical and inclusive AI collaboration

The La French Tech India AI Summit 2025 was recently held in Bengaluru bringing together leaders from government, industry, startups, and academia from India and France to strengthen collaboration on artificial intelligence. Organised by La French Tech India in partnership with IFCCI, Business France, the Consulate General of France in Bangalore, and CCEF, the summit reinforced the growing strategic partnership between the two countries ahead of the India-France Year of Innovation in 2026 .The event focused on building a shared vision for inclusive AI innovation, public interest technology, and stronger international cooperation. France’s Minister of State for Digital Affairs, Clara Chappaz, opened the summit with a video message, followed by remarks from Marc Lamy, Consul General of France in Bengaluru, and Ajay Krishnan, Vice President of Karnataka Digital Economy Mission (KDEM). They encouraged open, constructive dialogue on how AI can be used to meet broader social goals.Sharad Sharma, Co-Founder of iSPIRT, delivered the keynote address and urged India and France to co-develop an AI model that combines innovation with ethical responsibility. A panel discussion, moderated by Madhusha Mishra of Link, featured industry leaders Dr. Gaurav Aggarwal (Jio Reliance), Partha Rao (Prints.AI), Amit Pingle (Michelin Innovation Lab), and Umakant Soni (AI Foundry), who discussed real-world applications of AI and how the two countries can scale solutions that address practical needs.In the second half of the summit, speakers addressed ethical challenges in AI. Hari Subramanian, Fellow at NitiAI and iSPIRT, presented guiding principles to build public trust in emerging technologies. Mehak Kasbekar of Brut India delivered a keynote on the media’s responsibility in shaping public narratives around technology. A panel led by Rajesh Desai of Lyra India brought together Olivier Flous (Thales), Astha Kapoor (Aapti Institute), Shiv Kumar DVS (OVH), and Sachin Kumar (QpiAi) to explore how to build AI systems that respect human values and serve the greater good.The summit highlighted how France’s deeptech capabilities and ethical frameworks can complement India’s scale, digital infrastructure, and talent, paving the way for a collaborative and responsible

global AI model

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