Google’s Chief Executive, Sundar Pichai, has described artificial intelligence (AI) as a “fundamental rewiring of technology” and an “accelerant of human ingenuity” during a major AI summit in the French capital.
Speaking to world leaders and industry figures, Pichai emphasised that while the world remains in the early stages of the AI revolution, its transformative impact is set to be the most significant of this generation.
“We’re still in the early days of the AI platform shift, and yet we know it will be the biggest of our lifetimes,” Pichai stated, according to excerpts from his speech released ahead of the event.
Pichai underscored the tangible benefits of AI technology, including its potential for early wildfire detection through satellite imagery. He also announced a new partnership with Paris-based Institut Curie aimed at advancing AI-powered cancer detection and treatment.
The summit has drawn key figures from the tech industry, including Demis Hassabis, head of Google’s DeepMind AI research lab, who addressed an event at Google’s Paris offices on Sunday. Hassabis, himself a Nobel chemistry laureate, highlighted AI’s growing role across scientific disciplines.
“Material science, mathematics, fusion—there is almost no area of science that won’t benefit from these AI tools,” he remarked.
Google has reaffirmed to AI development, with Pichai confirming that the company will invest $75 billion this year, largely in AI-related capital projects.
“With AI, we have the chance to democratise access from the start, and to ensure that the digital divide doesn’t become an AI divide,” he said.
The “digital divide” refers to the gap between individuals with and without access to modern digital technologies, a disparity that many fear could widen as AI advances.
While AI’s rapid evolution has sparked concerns over its societal impact, Pichai urged policymakers and industry leaders to look beyond short-term fears and recognise the long-term benefits.
“Every generation worries that new technology will change the lives of the next generation for the worse—and yet it’s almost always the opposite,” he said, pushing back against scepticism surrounding AI’s future role.
Pichai concluded with a call to action, stating that the world has a “once-in-a-generation opportunity” to harness AI at scale and significantly enhance human lives.
