AI to dominate annual Paris startup event VivaTech

Thousands of tech enthusiasts are expected to start filing into Europe’s self-declared biggest startup event VivaTech in Paris on Wednesday, which this year will focus on artificial intelligence.

The four-day event, now in its eighth year, will host more than 150,000 guests, 11,000 startups and 450 speakers, according to the organizers.

While former US climate envoy and secretary of state John Kerry is expected to make a push for a green tech revolution, billionaire Tesla and SpaceX owner Elon Musk will appear via video link to answer audience questions.

Francois Bitouzet, director general of VivaTech, told AFP this year’s event would be focusing on the “hard stuff”.

“We want to stop the theoretical discussions on AI and get into concrete innovations,” he said.

A slew of startups will be showing how AI can be used in every field from medical prosthetics to the fight against disinformation.

They will be joined by established players like ChatGPT maker OpenAI, which will be outlining its latest tools for developers.

‘AI tsunami’

In the face of this “AI tsunami”, said Ben Wood of CCS Insight, companies should be careful not to overwhelm their potential customers.

“There’s a lot of exciting things about AI, but you need to very clearly articulate what the benefits for consumers are,” he told AFP.

“Because we are rapidly approaching AI fatigue, when people just tune out.”

The event regularly attracts major political figures, with EU heavyweights Thierry Breton and Charles Michel expected to attend.

However, French President Emmanuel Macron, a regular attendee, is unlikely to take part this year.

Macron is instead set to visit the French territory of New Caledonia, more than 15,000 kilometers from Paris.

The Pacific territory has suffered days of unrest after indigenous Kanaks rejected changes to voting rules that would have boosted the influence of people who had arrived recently.

© 2024 AFP