India-France AI Policy Roundtable Explores Global AI Governance and Collaboration

Paris: In a significant step towards strengthening international AI cooperation, the Office of the Principal Scientific Adviser (PSA) to the Government of India, in collaboration with the Indian Institute of Science (IISc), Bengaluru, IndiaAI Mission, and Sciences Po Paris, hosted the 2nd India-France AI Policy Roundtable in Paris. The event was an official side event to the AI Action Summit 2025, focusing on AI governance, responsible development, and cross-border collaboration.

The discussions opened with remarks from Prof. Ajay Kumar Sood, PSA to the Government of India, who emphasized India’s commitment to responsible AI development, equitable access to AI benefits, and the importance of interoperable data flows. He also stressed the potential for India and France to align on AI policy frameworks and technological innovations, creating a globally beneficial synergy.

The roundtable was co-chaired by Amit A. Shukla, Joint Secretary, Cyber Diplomacy Division, Ministry of External Affairs, India, and H.E. Henri Verdier, Ambassador for Digital Affairs, French Ministry for Europe and Foreign Affairs. They highlighted several priority areas, including:

• Digital Public Infrastructure (DPI) for AI
• AI foundation models and governance
• Data sovereignty and cross-border data flows
• The role of AI in addressing global challenges

Participants from both countries, including government officials, industry leaders, researchers, and AI policy experts, engaged in discussions on democratizing AI access, ethical AI deployment, and the development of sovereign AI models. Speakers emphasized the need for a balanced techno-legal framework that fosters innovation while ensuring AI safety and accountability.

The discussions also underscored the importance of multilingual large language models (LLMs), federated AI compute infrastructure, and energy-efficient AI computing. Experts from both nations explored opportunities for collaboration in AI research, data governance, and AI-driven startups, reinforcing the commitment to sustainable and responsible AI growth.

The Second Roundtable in Paris built upon the discussions from the First Roundtable at IISc, Bengaluru, held on January 25, 2025, which focused on inclusive AI frameworks, diverse datasets, public-private partnerships, and long-term sector-specific goals.