Defense AI established as an “essential security interest”: what this announcement from Catherine Vautrin changes for France

Like deterrence, cryptography and intelligence, defense artificial intelligence will be elevated to the rank of « d’intérêt essentiel de sécurité » for France. Like these three other sensitive areas where sovereignty is a cardinal value, AI, in weapons systems, will benefit from special treatment from now on. The Minister of the Armed Forces Catherine Vautrin announced this on Friday during a trip near Rennes. “It’s a political, strategic choice”she insisted before inaugurating the new premises of the Ministerial Defense AI Agency, named after the computer scientist Alice Recoque.

While artificial intelligence algorithms promise to be a factor of operational superiority in tomorrow’s wars, armies want to guarantee the sovereignty of their resources but also have all the decision-making flexibility in the acquisition processes. “We need to move even faster”at-elle…