Although I am the proud investor in one promising AI startup in Japan already, most of my deal flow involving innovation in AI is still coming from Europe nowadays, most predominantly from France.

France’s prowess in AI might be one of the best kept secrets in innovation these days globally.

As I find myself explaining frequently Japanese corporations vying for AI innovation (for example, 日本企業が米国より欧州スタートアップと相性のいい理由), the French educational system fosters a laser focus on advanced engineering disciplines beginning at a young age. Furthermore, the numerous research institutes dotting the country provide fertile ground for expertise in artificial intelligence and its subsets of machine learning and deep-learning.

Here is another angle reinforcing this case. In terms of AI technology frameworks, France is one of the leading contributors worldwide. Since a picture is worth a thousand words, I commissioned the crafting of the following infographic to illustrate the point (chapeaux to Lucile Nurit for the graphic design):