France 2027 presidential election · first round on April 18, 2027
France's 2027 presidential election and artificial intelligence: what the candidates propose
A neutral observatory of the candidates' programmes, proposal by proposal. Every item is an exact quote, linked to its source and reviewed by a person before publication. Quotes are translated by the observatory; the original French is always shown.
As of November 12, 2026, the observatory follows 39 declared candidates and 8 potential candidates across 4 themes, all through the lens of AI. 650 of 650 published proposals and statements are available in English so far; the rest are being translated and reviewed.
Staffing, online services, announced savings, governance and AI agents: figures shown are the candidates’ own.
Who talks about AI, and how much
Number of published proposals and statements related to AI, per declared candidate and per potential candidate. This indicator measures a volume, not the quality or realism of the proposals; it also depends on how much of each programme has been published so far.
Potential candidates with no published proposal or statement so far: François Baroin, Jean-Noël Barrot, Aurore Bergé, Élisabeth Borne, François Hollande.
If we don't take the right turn, particularly on the issue of innovation, of artificial intelligence, in five years it will be too late. We will be colonized by the Americans and the Chinese.
Original French quote
Si on ne prend pas le bon virage, notamment sur le sujet d'innovation, d'intelligence artificielle, dans cinq ans, ce sera trop tard. On sera colonisés par les Américains et les Chinois.
This subject is completely taking a back seat and that is totally astounding. Me, I don't understand it. It's as if at the time electricity was invented there had been a presidential campaign and electricity hadn't been debated
Original French quote
Ce sujet passe totalement au second plan et c'est totalement sidérant. Moi, je ne comprends pas. C'est comme si au moment de l'invention de l'électricité il y avait une campagne présidentielle et qu'on n'avait pas débattu de l'électricité
There are two battles being fought today. There is the battle to have the best models, it is rather the Americans who are winning it. And there is the battle to have the widest diffusion of AI in society, in the economy, it is rather the Chinese who are far ahead
Original French quote
Il y a deux batailles aujourd'hui qui se jouent. Il y a la bataille pour avoir les meilleurs modèles, ce sont plutôt les Américains qui sont en train de la gagner. Et il y a la bataille pour avoir la plus grande diffusion de l'IA dans la société dans l'économie, c'est plutôt les Chinois qui sont très en avance
Finally, I note his profound speech delivered at UNESCO on artificial intelligence, in perfect continuity with his encyclical Magnifica Humanitas. The latter represents one of the most remarkable reflections, both lofty and nuanced, on the challenges of AI.
Original French quote
Je retiens enfin son discours profond prononcé à l’Unesco sur l’intelligence artificielle, dans la parfaite continuité de son encyclique Magnifica Humanitas. Cette dernière représente l’une des réflexions les plus remarquables, à la fois hautes et nuancées, sur les défis de l’IA.
