Microsoft wants you to know that it really really really ❤️ France AI.
In the company's glass and steel headquarters in the almost-Paris city of Issy-les-Moulineaux, hovering just above the banks of the Seine River, Microsoft executives gathered partners and press this week to release the tech giant's latest report, "Microsoft & AI in France," which details progress on its €4 billion commitment to transform France into an AI powerhouse.
By the numbers:
- 250,000 French citizens have already completed AI training courses
- 1,000 startups have received support
- France now ranks fifth globally in AI adoption, with over 40% of its working-age population already using these technologies.
- AI could add €250 to €400 billion to France’s GDP by 2030
Behind these statistics lies a more nuanced tale of how Microsoft wants to help France position itself at the forefront of Europe's AI revolution.
"AI should not replace humans, but give them more ways to learn and innovate," wrote Corine De Bilbao, President of Microsoft France, on LinkedIn. "This is the meaning of our commitments made at Choose France 2024, which are now being translated into concrete results."
France's AI Transformation
Even amid the current debate among French entrepreneurs about whether to stay in France or flee to the U.S., Microsoft continues to aggressively court the nation, a strategy it has pursued for many years.
The company established its French subsidiary in 1983 as only its second European outpost after the UK. But the scale and scope of its current AI initiatives represent a watershed moment for both the company and the country.
At the heart of the strategy are two big goals:
- Train one million French people in AI skills
- support 2,500 startups by 2027
Microsoft made these pledges, estimated to be around €4 billion, at the Choose France 2024 Summit, saying it was motivated by the country's world-class engineering schools, a thriving startup ecosystem anchored by Station F in Paris, and government policies that actively court tech investment.
In addition, President Emmanuel Macron's administration has made AI a national priority, viewing it as essential to maintaining France's economic competitiveness.
Chris O’Brien
Beyond Paris: Taking AI to the Provinces
One of the most striking aspects of Microsoft's approach is its emphasis on regional development, something that aligns closely with the goals of La French Tech Mission. The company operates four AI Labs in Nantes, Lyon, Bordeaux, and Toulouse, a deliberate strategy to ensure AI innovation doesn't remain confined to the Parisian bubble.
"Regions outside Île-de-France represent nearly 70% of France's GDP," notes Eneric Lopez, Microsoft France's Director of AI and Social Impact, in the report. "We can't build a truly inclusive AI ecosystem without engaging these territories."
The newly announced "Tour de France de l'IA" takes this regional focus even further. Starting in Mulhouse this month, this roadshow will visit six cities, bringing AI demonstrations, training opportunities, and networking events to local businesses, startups, and educational institutions.
The Startup Factor: From Idea to IPO
Inside Station F, Microsoft's GenAI Studio serves as an incubator for the next generation of French AI champions. The three-month accelerator program, now accepting applications for its third cohort, provides selected startups with up to $150,000 in Azure credits, access to 1,900 AI models, and mentorship from Microsoft experts.
Chris O’Brien
The report also highlights how complex some of these relationships can be.
For instance, there is Microsoft's partnership with Mistral AI, the French startup challenging OpenAI's dominance in large language models. Microsoft sees this as evidence that French companies can compete at the highest levels of AI development.
At the same time, the report celebrates Microsoft's partnership with Doctolib, France's leading e-health platform, which has deployed an AI-powered medical assistant that transcribes and structures doctor-patient conversations, doubling the time physicians can spend on actual patient interaction. That virtual medical assistant is powered by Azure OpenAI Service.
Workforce Revolution: AI for All
Microsoft's training initiative has created over 200 free French-language AI courses on its AI Skills Navigator platform, partnered with France Travail (the national employment agency) to train job seekers, and launched specialized programs like GenIAles, which focuses on bringing women into AI careers.
The event at Microsoft HQ featured Eugenia Fornieri-Macchi, SVP of Global Talent at Danone, one of Microsoft's key French corporate partners. She spoke on stage with de Bilbao about how the company is embracing AI. With 71% of French executives planning to deploy AI agents to support their workforce in the coming year, the workplace revolution is already underway, according to the report.
The company has deployed Microsoft 365 Copilot on a large scale and created the Danone AI Academy to train its employees to use these new tools and encourage adoption.
"The AI transformation is fundamentally a human project," she said. "It's not about replacing humans but giving them more ways to learn and innovate."
This philosophy extends to Microsoft's work with Institut Curie on cancer research, where AI helps researchers analyze data more quickly, and its collaboration with Région Sud, where AI tools are streamlining government services and improving citizen engagement.
"AI is no longer just about technology. It's about transforming how we work, learn, and innovate," de Bilbao said in the report. "France has all the assets to succeed in this new industrial revolution."
