At the French AI Action Summit, a public interest initiative called Current AI was officially launched, aimed at promoting and guiding the development of artificial intelligence to ensure it progresses in a way that benefits society. This initiative has raised over $400 million for the first time and plans to raise an additional $2.5 billion over the next five years.
Image Source Note: Image generated by AI, licensed by Midjourney
Although this amount may seem small compared to other AI investments, such as the approximately $112 billion private support plan recently mentioned by the French president or the $500 billion investment in the U.S., supporters of Current AI believe this funding is sufficient to make a significant impact in key areas like healthcare and climate goals.
The goal of Current AI is to establish a financial tool for public interest AI to support addressing major public health issues like cancer and long-term COVID. Founder Martin Tisné stated that the current development of AI faces data bottlenecks, hence the need for innovative approaches to make data more accessible.
This partnership focuses on creating a "supportive environment for public interest AI," which includes expanding access to high-quality public and private datasets, supporting open-source infrastructure to enhance AI transparency and safety, and developing systems to assess the social and environmental impacts of AI.
Countries participating in this initiative include France, Germany, Chile, Kenya, Morocco, and Nigeria, totaling nine nations. While the U.S. and Asian countries are not involved, American tech giants like Google and Salesforce are core partners supporting the project. Supporters of Current AI also include several philanthropic organizations, such as the Ford Foundation and the MacArthur Foundation.
Tisné mentioned that Current AI aims to bridge the gap between public and private financing for public interest AI projects. He emphasized that this partnership will focus on supporting existing public interest projects to drive larger-scale collaboration and development. He also noted that Current AI will support related work through three main lines: funding, incubation, and coordination of resources.
In the coming months, the project hopes to attract more supporters, particularly in collaboration with the Gates Foundation. Tisné stated that the initiative aims to focus on current opportunities and challenges in AI, rather than a distant sci-fi future.
Key Points:
🌍 This partnership has raised over $400 million and plans to raise an additional $2.5 billion over the next five years.
📊 The focus is on improving access to high-quality datasets and developing transparent AI systems to promote public interest.
🤝 Participating countries include France, Germany, and others, totaling nine nations, with support from Google and Salesforce.
