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A few days before the entry into force of the European regulation on artificial intelligence (AI Act) and the holding of the Summit for Action on AI in Paris, France created on Friday, January 31, 2025 a public institute to monitor this technology, called Inesia. The main mission of this organization, led by the General Secretariat of Defense and National Security (SGDSN), is “the anticipation of possible risks inherent” to AI, at a time when superpowers such as the United States and China are increasing investments and equipping themselves with their tools. According to the government press release, Inesia “will not be endowed with the powers of a regulator.” However, expertise can thus be concentrated in state hands.
No regulation
“This institute’s mission is to unite, without creating a new legal structure, national players in assessment and security, first and foremost the National Agency for Information Systems Security (ANSSI), the National Institute for Research in Digital Science and Technology (Inria), the National Laboratory for Metrology and Testing (LNE) and the Digital Regulation Expertise Center (PEReN),” explains the government. Friday.
Inesia itself is managed by several institutions, headed by the SGDSN, simultaneously with the General Directorate of Enterprises (DGE) of the Ministry of the Economy, Finance and Industrial and Digital Sovereignty.
“Without creating a new legal structure” that could allow it to play the role of regulator, Paris is setting up this institute “in accordance with the priorities established in May 2024 by the Seoul Declaration”, signed by ten countries and the European Union, to “scientifically study all the effects of this technology, including in terms of security”. The State, the government further explains, “materializes its commitment to the controlled development of AI in a framework of trust and security”.
The timing is not insignificant. The establishment of Inesia is part of a broader French and European dynamic of regulation and monitoring of AI. The creation of the institute was announced two days before the entry into force, yesterday Sunday, of the European regulation on artificial intelligence (AI Act), which has also attracted criticism for the restrictions imposed.
SMEs and start-ups fear being disadvantaged by the heavy compliance obligations, which could favor foreign technology giants, American or even Chinese. Furthermore, the centralization of surveillance, mainly in the hands of public authorities, raises questions related to transparency, particularly in data management and the correction of algorithmic biases.
The emphasis on control
Inesia also comes into being a few days before the Artificial Intelligence (AI) Action Summit, which will be held on 10 and 11 February in Paris. France is following in the footsteps of the United Kingdom, which organised a similar summit at the end of 2023, and will host 100 heads of state and some 600 business and NGO leaders.
The London summit already focused on the security and risks of AI, and the Paris version, the AI Action Summit, while aiming to be more optimistic and positive, will in turn emphasise this aspect. “We will highlight the risks of AI, already well discussed in London in November 2023 and in Seoul in May, but also the opportunities and benefits of this technology,” explained the Elysée.
In theory, AI regulation should benefit consumers and citizens by ensuring more ethical and responsible use of this technology, using transparent and non-discriminatory systems. Economically, texts like the AI Act could also benefit foreign technology giants by their ability to quickly comply with standards, to the detriment of less powerful companies.
But centralizing the surveillance and regulation of AI above all strengthens the control of public authorities over AI data and systems. This can theoretically allow them to better manage the risks associated with AI. But it also raises questions about the concentration of power and the protection of individual rights.
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