Defense council meeting on AI

French President Emmanuel Macron has called for a defense council meeting on Wednesday, October 14, to discuss security issues related to artificial intelligence. The meeting will be attended by Prime Minister Sébastien Lecornu, the Minister of the Armed Forces, Catherine Vautrin, and the Chief of Staff of the Armed Forces, General Fabien Mandon.

Recent focus on AI and security

This meeting follows a defense council session in early September that addressed "hybrid attacks" in Europe, which were attributed to Russia. It also comes shortly after a United Nations Security Council meeting that focused on artificial intelligence for the first time in that context.

International involvement in AI discussion

The UN meeting included participation from Sam Altman, CEO of OpenAI, and Dario Amodei, CEO of Anthropic. This highlights the growing international interest in regulating artificial intelligence and addressing its potential risks.

Macron’s vision for AI governance

During the visit of Pope Léon XIV to France in late September, Macron advocated for an "international organization" to prevent "the most advanced artificial intelligence models from being held by 'a few hands.'" He emphasized that artificial intelligence should serve as a tool rather than a dominant force.

Macron’s ongoing push for AI regulation

Macron has previously supported better regulation of artificial intelligence, as seen in his remarks following the G7 in June. He warned of the risks of "non-cooperation among democracies" and stressed the need for a coordinated approach to managing the digital revolution.