Why France as an AI ally can help India match US, China

Narendra Modi is set to host bilateral talks with Emmanuel Macron for sharing of resources

- Shouvik Das

A series of bilateral discussions with France will be key to India's quest for a seat in the global league of artificial intelligence (AI) dominance. China, a closed economy, has already achieved a generative AI breakthrough with DeepSeek's model. US president Donald Trump is vying to retain America's dominance in global technology by instituting curbs on AI and high-tech exports.

Indian industry stakeholders said an agreement with France can give the country a significant international partner-both as part of its global geopolitical strategy and to expand soft power by developing and selling AI applications, models and services.

"Mistral, a French company, is also one of the top 10 global names in AI applications and services. This would give India a strong partner for the long run, and also reduce the overall dominance that Big Tech firms have today," said Kashyap Kompella, AI analyst and founder of tech consultancy firm RPA2AI Research.

Moreover, according to him, "If global investments start drying up in India, a strong strategic partner in the EU can help India take its AI development to the world."