-Analysis-

PARIS — Not so long ago, going on a business trip to Silicon Valley meant catching a glimpse into the future of tech. These days, though, the future taking shape in California goes far beyond computer and smartphone manufacturers, software, and chip specialists. What's being hatched in the American West is no less than the world of tomorrow.

Of course, major inventions like the PC or the cell phone have already disrupted our daily lives. But more often than not, technology has tended to progress in a closed circuit. The big names of the digital world, high on Moore's law, used to be content improving just their own products. Above all, progress meant better performance, not a paradigm shift.

AI is going to be at the center of our daily lives

But with the advent of the Internet in the second half of the 1990s, we've entered a different world. Tech no longer serves just tech. The digital revolution that's been set in motion is reshuffling all the cards: In transport, leisure, travel, production... The rules of the game have already changed and the digital industry is gradually working its way into all human activities. Tech used to be a world apart. Now it's something that ties our societies together.

With the accelerating rise of artificial intelligence, or AI for short, the second chapter of this digital revolution is now beginning. A report recently released by French mathematician, Fields Medal winner and now lawmaker Cédric Villani shows, AI isn't just going to be a gadget for geeks or a tool for R&D laboratories. It's a new language, a new form of intelligence that will gradually penetrate homes, offices, factories, schools or hospitals. AI is going to be at the center of our daily lives.

Cédric Villani, French mathematician, Fields Medal winner and now lawmaker — Photo: Ecole polytechnique

At the dawn of this new world, France — which has largely missed the Internet revolution — has every reason to be concerned, because those who don't master the codes of artificial intelligence risk being reduced to digital colonies in the decades to come. The superpowers of tomorrow will be those that have put AI at the heart of all their strategies. The United States and China understand that well.

This revolution is still full of uncertainties. For the time being, AI raises more questions — about its rhythm, impact, etc. — than answers. Concern is therefore legitimate, but it must not lead to stagnation. People will have to innovate, take risks and choose their battles. France will not be able to do everything, but it has assets that it'll have to exploit by making research into AI a real national priority. It's a matter of sovereignty.