Artificial intelligence (AI) is more than an industrial and technological revolution. It has the potential to bring about a profound paradigm shift in our societies—in how we understand things, work, and create and share information. It has implications even to culture and language. That means artificial intelligence is not a neutral technology. It is a political and civic issue that requires intense international dialogue among the leaders, researchers, businesses and civil society. And so, France has shouldered the responsibility of building on the momentum generated by the United Kingdom and the Republic of Korea and is hosting the AI Action Summit on February 10 and 11, 2025, which will bring nearly 100 heads of state and governments and a thousand civil society actors in Paris from some 100 countries.

The question we all face, as users, start-ups, large corporations, researchers, and policy-makers, is simple: How do we get the AI transition right? The stakes are sky-high: We must enable artificial intelligence to fulfil its initial promise of progress and empowerment in a context of shared trust that addresses the risks inherent to technological development.

We are focusing on three tangible priorities ahead of the Summit and its outcomes. Firstly, access to AI must be guaranteed for everyone so that each person in the world can benefit and develop new ideas and realise the full potential of the technologies. To reduce the growing digital gap and curb the excessive concentration of the artificial intelligence sector, we are launching a large-scale public interest AI initiative to foster the development and sharing of computing power, structured datasets, open tools and training for the talents of tomorrow. Both public and private stakeholders will lead this project.

Secondly, we must prepare together for the two major transitions of our time: The environmental transition and the technological transition. While artificial intelligence will, without a doubt, contribute to fighting climate change and protecting ecosystems, it is currently on an untenable pathway regarding energy use. The latest forecasts suggest that the energy needs of the artificial intelligence sector will be 10 times higher in 2026 than in 2023. That is not sustainable. In response, an international and multi-stakeholder coalition for sustainable artificial intelligence will be launched at the summit to deepen research into the technologies’ environmental impact, evaluate models, define new standards and step up green investment at every link in the value chain.

Lastly, we must collectively design an effective and inclusive governance framework for artificial intelligence. In this respect, the first challenge is that of substance: The agenda of international AI governance must not be limited to ethics and safety issues. Other areas are of key importance, including protecting fundamental freedoms, intellectual property, fighting market concentration and access to data. The other challenge is that of method, which must be determinedly collective. Everybody talks about the inclusiveness of AI governance, but for the moment, it is a mirage. For example, only seven countries worldwide truly participate in the major international AI initiatives, and 119 are absent. Moreover, private stakeholders and civil society must also be closely involved in defining a common international artificial intelligence governance architecture.

Here in Nepal, the adoption of AI is equally timely. With 42.6 percent of the population aged 16 to 40, the country’s young demographic is well-positioned to embrace AI’s transformative potential.

The French Embassy in Nepal and the Alliance Française de Katmandou (AFK) stand together to foster a dialogue on how to build a sustainable AI ecosystem. In a recent event organised by the AFK featuring representatives from UNESCO, NAAMII and Digital Rights Nepal, participants shared insights on the necessity to prioritise robust legal frameworks, infrastructure development and capacity-building programmes to ensure inclusive and ethical AI adoption.

Neither France nor Nepal is alone on the path to this Summit. More than 700 public and private partners, researchers and NGOs worldwide have been helping to prepare it for months. No subject will be skirted around: From the future of work to frugal AI, from the safety of models to innovation ecosystems and from the need for linguistic—and therefore cultural—diversity to the protection of privacy. France is counting on you! You are all invited to accompany us on the path to the AI Action Summit so that together we can build, in an atmosphere of trust, an AI at the service of all, for a prosperous, open and more inclusive world.