French army ministry to set up centre for defence-related AI

PARIS, Nov 12 : France's armed forces ministry said on Thursday it will create an international centre to promote and support the growing use of artificial intelligence in defence, as Europe races to strengthen its military technology capabilities and reduce its reliance on the United States.

The ministry is hoping that NATO will recognise the centre, due to open in summer 2027, an official told reporters at a briefing.

AI tools have become key to warfare since Russia's invasion of Ukraine in 2022, helping to speed up battlefield decision-making by processing and interpreting large quantities of data produced by drones, satellites and other sensors.

However, Europe is reliant on US-based companies like Palantir for much of its AI-enabled military software. 

The ministry has not yet finalised funding or international members for the centre. It has invited representatives from other countries to a conference next week to outline its plans for the initiative.