New Delhi, Nov 8 (IANS) India’s AI ecosystem, anchored in digital public infrastructure (DPI), a vibrant startup network and strong academic institutions, offers a scalable platform for co-development and innovation with French partners, according to experts.

As part of the pre-summit event for the upcoming ‘AI Impact Summit 2026’ being hosted by India, the Office of the Principal Scientific Adviser (OPSA) to the government, in collaboration with the Indian Institute of Science (IISc) and the Consulate General of France in Bengaluru, organised the third India-France AI Policy Roundtable in Bengaluru.

The French delegation underlined its commitment to responsible, human-centric AI development and the importance of industrial cooperation in expanding access to AI resources and compute capacity.

According to the Office of Principal Scientific Advisor, the roundtable continued the ongoing ‘Track 1.5’ dialogue series on AI policy cooperation between India and France, following the previous editions held in Bengaluru and Paris earlier this year.

It focused on advancing collaboration across the pillars of AI infrastructure, industry partnerships, research cooperation, and responsible AI governance, as part of the shared vision of equitable access to AI resources and inclusive innovation.

The session was co-chaired by 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, who highlighted the importance of strengthening bilateral collaboration in emerging technologies.

The discussion was followed by interventions from representatives across government, industry, startups, and academia from both countries, contributing diverse perspectives on strengthening bilateral cooperation in artificial intelligence.

The roundtable discussions will contribute valuable insights for the upcoming AI Impact Summit 2026 as well as the ‘India–France Year of Innovation 2026’, said an official statement.

The session was co-moderated by Professor Chiranjib Bhattacharyya from the Department of Computer Science and Automation, Indian Institute of Science (IISc), representing India, and Professor Francis Rousseaux from ETI Expertise France and the iSPIRT Foundation, representing France.

—IANS

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