When France’s Special Envoy for AI, Anne Bouverot, arrived in India last week, she didn’t just bring official paperwork and talking points. She brought curiosity, optimism, and a sense that France and India are about to write a new chapter in the story of global AI.
During her short yet eventful visit to Bengaluru and Delhi, Bouverot met researchers, startups, and policymakers to strengthen Indo-French cooperation ahead of next year’s AI Impact Summit in India.
“Technology becomes what we make of it,” said Bouverot, adding that AI’s future isn’t just about engineering breakthroughs but about its impact on people, society, and the planet.
“We are now moving from action to impact,” she added, saying that it’s really about understanding what impact technology will have on people’s lives in education, healthcare, commerce, agriculture, and beyond.
During her visit to Delhi, she visited the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS), where she saw AI tools being used for early disease detection. These included systems that could identify tuberculosis and detect blindness caused by diabetes, applications she described as deeply impactful and important for society.
From Action to Impact
Bouverot has been at the heart of France’s AI strategy. She led the AI Action Summit in Paris last year, which saw participation from global leaders, including Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
Next February, it will be India’s turn to host the AI Impact Summit 2026. She revealed that French President Emmanuel Macron will be attending the summit.
The envoy’s current mission is to help India prepare for this major event. “I’m here to support the team organising the AI Impact Summit. We went through the same process last year, it was a lot of work, a lot of sleepless nights,” she laughed.
But there’s a deeper collaboration on the horizon. “In 2026, it will be the Year of Indo-French Innovation,” she added. “We’re looking forward to seeing our ecosystems, our startups, and our researchers work together even more closely.”
Balancing Innovation and Governance
Bouverot believes India is striking the right balance between innovation and regulation, a challenge every country faces in the AI era. “Every country needs to balance the innovation aspect and the regulation aspect clearly,” she said.
“I really wanted to come to Bangalore. Innovation is really buoyant here, and I think every country needs to help startups, fund them, sponsor them, and at the same time give them guidelines,” she added.
Bouverot applauded India’s latest moves in AI governance, especially the creation of a scale-up fund for startups. She said France and Europe have begun similar efforts and underlined the importance of policies that safeguard citizens.
Referring to the European model, she drew parallels. “In Europe, personal data protection is very important because of our history, because of what happened with the World Wars. Indian startups coming to Europe need to take that into account.”
She further added that they also make sure regulation is fit for purpose and doesn’t hamper innovation, adding that India is doing a very good job at that.
The Case for AI Sovereignty
France’s AI ecosystem has become a model for technological sovereignty, with homegrown successes like Mistral AI. For Bouverot, this isn’t about isolationism but strategic independence.
“No single country can do everything independently, and France cannot, and India cannot. But technological sovereignty and resilience are becoming more important everywhere,” she stressed.
“It doesn’t mean we stop using foreign technology,” she clarified. “But we need to distinguish between use cases like protecting hospital and patient data or ensuring defence systems are self-sufficient. Companies should have the choice to decide which technologies they use.”
She also pointed out how France supports data centres and compute infrastructure. “We welcome data centres because we have excess electricity and a lot of carbon-free energy, thanks to nuclear and renewables,” she said.
She said small, focused AI models that can run on mobile phones make the technology more energy-efficient and easier for people to use.
Innovation with a Soul
Bouverot recently described the Vatican as an important moral voice in the global AI debate, noting its timely involvement as AI continues to impact society.
Her association with the Vatican stems from her appreciation of the Catholic Church’s influence in shaping global discussions on AI ethics. She has often acknowledged the Church’s leadership in confronting the social and moral questions that surface with the rapid progress of AI.
In October 2025, Bouverot authored an opinion piece titled ‘The Vatican’s Voice of Reason on AI,’ published by Project Syndicate. In this piece, she acknowledged the Vatican’s thoughtful approach to AI as an important counterbalance to the technological and economic forces driving AI development, reinforcing ethical, inclusive, and human-centred principles.
“I think as human beings, curiosity drives us,” she reflected. “We like to meet new people, discover new things, that’s what attracts us to technology and innovation. But, societies and governments have a role to protect their citizens.”
As India prepares for the AI Impact Summit 2026, Bouverot’s visit marks a critical moment of reflection and partnership. France’s value-first approach to technology and India’s public good philosophy are not competing visions. They are complementary pillars of a shared AI future.
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