A significant debate on artificial intelligence took place on Friday, September 25, 2026, at the Vélodrome stadium in Marseille, involving several candidates and representatives from the presidential election. The discussion covered a wide range of topics, including public administration, pensions, life insurance, and data centers, emphasizing the political decisions shaping the future of AI. Laurent Marcangeli, president of the Horizons & Independents group, stated that France is not participating in a global race to develop large conversational agents, such as chatbots or virtual assistants, and instead prefers to focus on robotics, AI in healthcare, and defense. In contrast, Paul Midy, a deputy for the Renaissance party, argued that France could aim to be a leader in AI with a 30 billion euro investment, citing the Mistral project and referencing Anthropic's 30 billion dollar funding. The debate on AI's role in public administration and the economy included differing views on how to use productivity gains. Sarah Knafo, a European deputy for Reconquête, proposed using AI to reduce administrative costs and avoid replacing 800,000 public agents who are expected to retire. Midy suggested a voluntary departure plan for 100,000 civil servants. Olivier Faure, first secretary of the Socialist Party, introduced the concept of an "AI dividend," suggesting that part of the wealth generated by automation should be redistributed to the community, though the exact method of levying this dividend remains untested. Manuel Bompard, a deputy for LFI, advocated for massive public investment in AI, mentioning several tens of billions of euros in investments and public banking. Alexandre Loubet, a deputy for RN, proposed a French sovereign fund to which individuals could voluntarily subscribe, aiming to direct more private savings toward national investments. Paul Midy also suggested developing capitalization pension systems to create capital masses comparable to American pension funds, acknowledging that this would take a generation and require public money during the transition. The debate extended to the management of data centers, with Bompard proposing a moratorium on non-sovereign data centers until controlled capacities are developed. Loubet contested the arrival of foreign capital projects, attributing the mobilization of French electricity to economic value elsewhere. Xavier Bertrand emphasized the need to impose conditions on foreign investors, ensuring French control over data and infrastructure. David Cormand, an European ecologist deputy, highlighted the importance of controlling not only infrastructures but also software and data, suggesting that European companies dependent on foreign services may face challenges in migrating data and retraining teams. He raised the question of when an innovation becomes true societal progress, emphasizing that an innovation is not necessarily a progress. The discussion underscored the lack of consensus on AI's role in job creation, economic investment, and sovereignty, with differing views on how to manage the gains, the technology to prioritize, and the balance between innovation and societal impact.