PM Modi in France, addresses Paris AI Action summit, headed to Marseille next

PM Modi in France: Prime Minister Narendra Modi is in France to co-chair the Paris AI Action Summit with President Emmanuel Macron for the first leg of his two-nation tour. After his France visit, Modi will head to the United States to meet President Donald Trump.

"I am grateful to my friend President Macron for hosting this summit and for inviting me to co-chair it. AI is already reshaping our economy, security, and even society. AI is writing the code for humanity in this century," Modi said, during the AI Action Summit at the Grand Palais in Paris.

In a post earlier on X on Tuesday, Modi shared ‘highlights’ from the memorable welcome in Paris. Modi was greeted by French President Macron at a welcome dinner on Monday. Earlier, Modi said in another post on X that he was "delighted to meet my friend, President Macron in Paris.”

At the dinner, PM Modi also met newly elected US Vice President JD Vance, who is in France to attend the AI Summit.

PM Modi’s three-day visit to France will include him co-chairing the Paris AI Summit, holding bilateral talks with President Macron, and addressing business leaders. Earlier, Modi met Indian diaspora in Paris during a grand welcome accorded to him.

Posting pictures on social media, Modi wrote, “A memorable welcome in Paris! The cold weather didn’t deter the Indian community from showing their affection this evening. Grateful to our diaspora and proud of them for their accomplishments!”

PM Modi France Visit Latest Updates

During the France visit, Modi and Macron will hold discussions in both restricted and delegation formats and address the India-France CEO's Forum.

On Tuesday, Macron and Modi will visit the city of Marseille and inaugurate an Indian consulate there. The two leaders will also visit Mazargues War Cemetery maintained by the Commonwealth War Graves Commission in Marseille and pay tribute to the sacrifices made by Indian soldiers in World War I.

During the visit, India and France will announce small modular reactors, boosting civil nuclear cooperation. An India-France Triangular Development Cooperation initiative is also likely to be launched. The two countries will declare 2026 the India-France Innovation Year and launch a logo.

Paris AI Summit

Prime Minister Narendra Modi will co-chair the third edition of the AI Action Summit in Paris, which kicked off on Monday.

The two-day summit has three major objectives. One, to provide access to independent, safe and reliable AI to a wide range of users; develop AI that is more environmentally friendly; and three, to ensure global governance of artificial intelligence that is effective and inclusive.

The summit, which begins its second day in a few hours from now, focuses on five major themes. These include public service AI, future of work, innovation and culture, trust in AI, and global governance of AI.

Significance of the summit for India

The Paris AI Summit happens when the AI rivalry between the West and China is at a tipping point, with low-cost DeepSeek AI competing with leading Western alternatives such as ChatGPT, Gemini and Claude.

The summit will also be an opportunity for France and India to showcase their soft power in an area that is likely to be a game changer in the not too distant future.

The Second India-France Al Policy Roundtable is also being held as a side event during the AI Summit. This event is being organised by the Indian Institute of Science, Bengaluru, Office of the Principal Scientific Adviser to the Government of India, Nasscom, and IndiaAl Mission of the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology.

The event is expected to deliberate on key policy positions regarding global Al development and explore opportunities for synergy between India and France.

Paris AI summit participants

Chinese Vice Premier Zhang, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz, Canada Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotaki, President of the European Commission Ursula Von Der Leyen and UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres, apart from Modi and Macros, are attending the summit.

US Vice President JD Vance will also be present at the summit, marking Donald Trump's deputy's first foreign trip since the new administration took over on January 20.