Press release – AI Action Summit: Numeum mobilizes the digital ecosystem at regional, national and international levels

By highlighting the opportunities offered by AI for competitiveness, sovereignty and innovation, Numeum is committed to contributing to the widespread deployment of ethical and responsible AI, by promoting the excellence of the French ecosystem at the service of territories, companies and skills.

A strategic challenge for the competitiveness of French companies

The challenges of Artificial Intelligence (AI) in France and Europe have never been more urgent. While the European Union aims for 75% of its businesses to adopt AI by 2030, only 6% of French companies are using it today. By comparison, nations like the USA, whose newly-elected administration is multiplying announcements on AI investment, as well as India and China, are making great strides, widening a gap that is undermining European competitiveness.

However, there is a positive trend in France:

• A rich ecosystem of innovative startups and SMEs, experts in AI, which irrigate all sectors of the economy.
  • In just over a year, 200 new Generative AI players have joined the 2,000 AI-savvy digital companies offering operational solutions to help transform all sectors of the French economy.
  • Thanks to this pool of innovative startups and SMEs in France, the healthcare (200 solution providers), marketing (190), finance (110), and education (70) sectors, like many others, can, right now, embark on their transformation thanks to AI.
  • The employment dynamic among these players, and the amounts raised in 2024 (2,500 net job creations and €1.7 billion raised in 2024 in France) demonstrate the richness and strength of the French offering in the field of Artificial Intelligence.
• As far as software publishers are concerned, the integration of generative AI into their offerings is booming: 40% of respondents have already integrated generative AI into their offering, and 42% plan to do so within the next two years.

Numeum, the trade association and leading organization for digital professionals in France, is convinced that AI can play a decisive role in business competitiveness, and that the digital sector in France is an asset for the economy. More than just a technological tool, AI represents a unique opportunity to provide concrete solutions to the societal challenges of our time: accelerating the ecological transition, transforming healthcare and reinventing working practices for a more inclusive world.

Against this backdrop, the Summit for Action on Artificial Intelligence, scheduled for February 10 and 11, 2025, marks a new stage in the mobilization of AI players in France and Europe, and follows on from the Draghi Report. The objective is clear: to accelerate the transition to scale and meet societal and economic expectations. However, despite the urgency, a few obstacles remain to this acceleration: regulatory simplification, adaptation of the PLF and support for local ecosystems are all levers to be activated.

An ambitious vision for AI

Through its actions, Numeum aims to position France and Europe as world leaders in ethical and sustainable AI. This involves federating national and European economic, political and technological players (following the example of the action on competitiveness carried out by Numeum and its counterpart associations in Europe as part of DIGITALEUROPE) around an ambitious but realistic vision: channeling investment into digital, harmonizing the European and national regulatory framework, supporting innovation, adopting responsible practices, investing in skills and promoting the excellence of the local ecosystem, notably through the Tour de France de l’AI.

The AI Action Summit must be a key moment in realizing this vision, mobilizing elected representatives, business leaders, researchers and citizens to build a future where innovation goes hand in hand with sustainability and competitiveness.