French AI defense chief: 'Our challenge is to confront the malicious uses of AI without betraying our values'

Bertrand Rondepierre, 37, has led the French Ministerial Agency for Defense Artificial Intelligence (AMIAD) since its creation in 2024. The civilian engineer began his career at the Directorate General of Armament, the French defense procurement agency, before heading Google DeepMind, Google's artificial intelligence subsidiary, for five years (2018-2023).

Barely two years after its creation, the AMIAD now employs more than 240 engineers and technicians, with 75% to 80% of them having technical backgrounds. But our ambition is not limited to "keeping up." We need to reach the best level that technology allows and the level of what our adversaries will do. The goal is to provide the armed forces with the tools they need to carry out their missions effectively. Yet AI is not equally accessible to everyone. There is, therefore, a critical challenge in terms of skills, access and building long-term solutions.

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