The Secretary of State for digital Cédric O pleaded Friday against "
zero immigration
", in the name in particular of maintaining France in the global race for technological innovation. "
I noticed that there was a temptation among some to go towards zero immigration
", declared Cédric O on the sidelines of the inauguration of an IBM artificial intelligence research center on the plateau of Saclay, a Mecca for research and technology in Ile-de-France. "
But zero immigration is an attack on the economic and technological sovereignty
" of France, continued the Secretary of State, taking the example of foreign students in particular.
To read also Cédric O pleads for "a supervision of the public authorities" of the social networks
"
We need (...) more foreign students in France, and that they stay and create value in France
", he indicated. “
If you look at the biggest US tech companies, a good part of them are run by recent immigrant folks
,” he also said.
IBM's
new “
Artificial Intelligence, Intelligent Automation and Software Development Co-Innovation Center
” currently employs around 200 people and can accommodate up to 350 people. About thirty foreign nationals work there, representing ten different nationalities, according to Harley Davis, who heads IBM's artificial intelligence research in France.
Read alsoThe deployment of 5G under "extremely strong surveillance", assures Cédric O
Researchers at the center are working on innovation projects in collaboration with European clients. Among those presented on Friday, there was in particular a research project on the explainability of artificial intelligence algorithms, a key subject for specialists today. The project is led by IBM with the University of Paris-Saclay, in particular with STET, a French interbank payment platform which seeks to improve its fraud detection processes. Cédric O welcomed the investments made in France by large technological groups in France such as IBM, believing that they increased the attractiveness of France. "
In a deeply internationalized world, the strongest is the one who attracts the masses,
" he said.
