Crafting ultra-strict rules for the future European chatbot, intended to rival ChatGPT, risks leaving Europe behind in the global race for artificial intelligence development. This view comes from Policy insights featured with Jean-Noel Barro, the French Minister of Digitization and Telecommunications.
Barro argued that the European Parliament’s hardline stance on AI law could dampen the region’s tech progress. He pointed to real-world choices by major players as a barometer of where policy should head, suggesting that super-tough regulations may create a chilling effect on innovation rather than a safeguard for citizens.
As a concrete illustration, he highlighted Google’s decision not to bring Bard to the European Union. He stressed that the aim is not to spin up non-European chatbots in Europe, but to foster European AI developments that keep Europe at the forefront of tech history. This stance, he noted, ensures European capabilities won’t fade from the narrative of modern technology.
Barro also announced France’s strategy to empower European firms to compete with dominant US AI players like Google and OpenAI. He cited the French startup Mistral AI, which is pursuing model development on par with ChatGPT and signaling a strong continental push to own the AI stack domestically.
“There is an urgent obligation to cultivate productive AI models in Europe so that reliance on non-European systems does not become the default in the coming years and decades,” the head of the division stated, framing a national blueprint for resilience in digital innovation.
In recent months, French authorities have intensified their efforts to attract IT talent and finance high-tech ventures across Europe. President Emmanuel Macron has publicly addressed the AI conversation, including questions from chatbot interfaces about the EU’s prospects in the global tech arena, underscoring a broader push to align policy with rapid technical change and investment signals. According to policy circles cited in reputable outlets, the aim is to balance ambition with practical safeguards, ensuring Europe can chart its own path in the AI era.