Home>A discussion with Louis Abraham, Lecturer at the School of Management and Impact

06.03.2025

A discussion with Louis Abraham, Lecturer at the School of Management and Impact

More than ever, it seems essential today to Master and actively reflect on technology's stakes and impacts in our societies.
In this commitment, Sciences Po’s School of Management and Impact is delighted to report on its collaboration with Louis Abraham, lecturer in Data and Digital core curriculum courses.
 

 

What is the GenAI course about?  

In my class, I focused on keeping the spirit of multidisciplinarity and open-mindedness that defines Sciences Po.  

To complement my technical background as an AI researcher, I invited five experts from different fields related to Generative AI: a lawyer, an entrepreneur, a diplomat, a consultant, and a tech executive.  

Guest speakers included:

  • Gilles Rouvier, President of CyberLex  
  • Yann Lechelle, CEO of Probabl  
  • Alexandre Mirlesse, AI advisor to the French Embassy in the US  
  • Arnaud Bassoulet, Partner at BCG  
  • Laurent Solly, VP Europe at Meta  

The diversity of these speakers was reflected in the students. We had students from Italy and the US who shared insights about AI policies in their countries. A student pursuing a double degree in law engaged deeply with the legal aspects, while a Chinese student tested AI models in Mandarin and discovered adversarial examples that didn’t work in French or English.  

Alongside lectures and guest talks, I designed the course around hands-on assignments. Students explored key topics such as factfulness, bias, prompt engineering, and adversarial examples through practical experiments.  

What do you think is France’s role in AI?  

I believe France will play a leading role in AI.  

We are already Europe’s strongest player in AI, but we also maintain good relationships with both the US and China while holding a strategic position in Africa and the Middle East. This makes France a natural bridge between major tech and economic powers.  

From a technical standpoint, we combine strong mathematical expertise with top-tier engineering schools. At the same time, we have the public policies needed to foster a thriving AI ecosystem.  

What is your general opinion on AI and its impact on the economy?  

I see AI players as belonging to three main categories:  

  1. Those who create AI models – like OpenAI or Mistral.  
  2. Those who build applications using these models – for example, Cursor for developers.  
  3. Those who use AI to improve their daily work – which includes almost everyone.  

It’s important to develop strong players at all three levels. France is well-positioned because we have both the talent and computing power to create AI models, as well as startups building applications on top of them.  

Now, the key challenge is education. Both the public and decision-makers need to understand AI’s impact, and that’s why I’m excited to teach this course at Sciences Po.