Artificial Intelligence in the French Law of 2024

Abstract

The use of artificial intelligence in France is growing and intensifying in many areas, particularly in the field of justice. French President Macron has made it one of his government’s priorities to build on these assets and make France a world leader in AI. In parallel, the French government has deployed some efforts towards anticipating the regulatory challenges related to AI, the “National Strategy for Artificial Intelligence” launched as part of «France 2030» . As an illustration of the developments in artificial intelligence and its specific regulation, the French parliament passed a law to ensure the proper conduct of the 2024 Olympic and Paralympic Games (Law N° 2023-380 of 19.05.2023). The law permits the use of the experimental “augmented video-protection” technology, which uses cameras equipped with AI systems to detect and report specific events in real time. French regulations begin already now in the area of justice and must continue in the fields of AI liability and intellectual property. AI is a source of fears, particularly for the respect of human rights, and requires a very elaborate legal and ethical environment that is flexible enough to avoid slowing down the development of AI. The AI Liability EU Directive complements the Artificial Intelligence Act by introducing a new liability regime that ensures legal certainty, enhances consumer trust in AI, and assists consumers’ liability claims for damage caused by AI-enabled products and services. But the new European AI Act does not resolve all issues that therefore need to be addressed nationally.