November 7, 2025
It was organised by the Office of the Principal Scientific Adviser (OPSA) to the Government of India, IISc, and the Consulate General of France in Bengaluru
The dialogue advanced collaboration on AI infrastructure, industry partnerships, research cooperation, and responsible AI governance
The roundtable was co-chaired by Anne Bouverot, Special Envoy of the President of France for AI, and Amit A. Shukla, Joint Secretary, Ministry of External Affairs, India
Participants included senior representatives from government, industry, startups, and academia of both countries
In the lead-up to the AI Impact Summit 2026, India and France deepened their cooperation on artificial intelligence policy through the Third India–France AI Policy Roundtable at the Council Chamber, Main Building, IISc Bengaluru.
The event was jointly organised by the Office of the Principal Scientific Adviser (OPSA) to the Government of India, the Indian Institute of Science (IISc), and the Consulate General of France in Bengaluru. It formed part of the ongoing Track 1.5 dialogue series between the two countries on AI policy cooperation, following earlier editions held in Bengaluru and Paris this year.
The roundtable focused on strengthening collaboration across AI infrastructure, industrial partnerships, research exchange, and responsible AI governance, in line with the shared vision of promoting equitable access to AI resources and inclusive innovation.
The session was co-chaired by Her Excellency Anne Bouverot, Special Envoy of the President of the French Republic for Artificial Intelligence, and Amit A. Shukla, Joint Secretary, Cyber Diplomacy Division, Ministry of External Affairs, Government of India. Both emphasised the growing importance of India–France cooperation in emerging technologies, particularly in ensuring trust, ethics, and accessibility in AI development.
Discussions highlighted that India’s AI ecosystem, built on digital public infrastructure, a dynamic startup base, and leading academic institutions, provides a scalable platform for co-development and innovation with French partners. The French delegation reaffirmed its commitment to responsible and human-centric AI, underscoring the value of industrial collaboration to expand access to AI compute capacity and research infrastructure.
The session was co-moderated by Professor Chiranjib Bhattacharyya of IISc and Professor Francis Rousseaux of ETI Expertise France and iSPIRT Foundation.
Participants from both nations represented a wide range of institutions across government, academia, industry, and startups. Among them were Dr Preeti Banzal (OPSA), Marc Lamy (Consul General of France, Bengaluru), officials from MeitY, and executives from companies including The Scalers, CoRover, BharatGPT, Sopra Steria, NxtGen Cloud Technologies, Atos, Infosys, and Kroop.ai. Academic experts from IIT Jodhpur, IISc, and Monash University also contributed.
Other participants included representatives from the French Embassy in New Delhi, Institut Français India, and the French Ministry of Foreign Affairs, alongside Indian policy researchers from the Aapti Institute and OPSA’s Tech Policy Unit.
The discussions generated key insights to support AI policy coordination and will feed into deliberations at the AI Impact Summit 2026, where India will play host, and the India–France Year of Innovation 2026, which aims to celebrate and expand bilateral collaboration in science, technology, and innovation.
Source: PIB