India, France don’t want dependence on US, China AI models: Macron

French President Emmanuel Macron on Wednesday said India and France share the “same obsession” when it comes to artificial intelligence (AI) innovation and do not want to be “totally dependent” on US and Chinese models.“I really believe that India and France have the same obsession — that we do not want to be totally dependent on US and Chinese models. We believe that we want to be part of the solution. We want our players to be part of the solution as well,” he said.

Macron added that strengthening AI ecosystems requires investment in three key pillars — computing capacity, talent and capital. He said both India and France must ensure they have adequate data centres and computing capabilities.

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“We have to train talent in our countries,” he said.

Underscoring the significance of the ongoing India AI Impact Summit, Macron said, “The summit organised by India is extremely important regarding all these issues. After the Action Summit a year ago, we continued the conversation to ensure that our countries benefit from innovation and to make sure that this innovation serves our common good and humanity.”

He noted that while the US and China were ahead, India and France remain firmly in the race. Macron said AI adoption was critical because, with the right ethical approach, it could help accelerate scientific breakthroughs, including the discovery of new treatments and diseases.

He emphasised the need for India and France to build sovereign AI capacity and talent, ensuring that AI development serves humanity without overdependence on a few global powers. He highlighted the transformative potential of ethical AI adoption across sectors, particularly healthcare, to boost productivity and speed up innovation.

Calling for responsible governance, Macron stressed the need for safeguards to protect children, greater transparency in algorithms to address bias and democratic risks and the preservation of linguistic diversity in AI systems — an area where India and France share a common vision.

India and France also launched the Indo-French Centre for AI in Health (IF-CAIH) at the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) in the national capital on Wednesday.

The centre was inaugurated by Union Health Minister JP Nadda and Macron.

The IF-CAIH is aimed at advancing AI-driven research, medical education and clinical innovation to address complex healthcare challenges. It has been established under a Joint Memorandum of Understanding signed between AIIMS, New Delhi, Sorbonne University and the Paris Brain Institute.

The initiative also includes academic collaboration from the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT), Delhi, and leading French institutions, promoting interdisciplinary research in artificial intelligence, brain health and global healthcare systems.

The centre builds on ongoing institutional cooperation between India and France in priority areas such as digital health, antimicrobial resistance (AMR), human resources for health and the responsible use of health data. Collaborative efforts between research bodies and digital health institutions in both countries aim to enhance scientific discovery, strengthen evidence-based policymaking, and promote capacity building and mobility partnerships.