Artificial Intelligence Action Summit: Sciences Po Joins Forces

In the context of the dynamic created by the Presidency of the French Republic, with the Artificial Intelligence (AI) Action Summit taking place on 10 and 11 February 2025 in Paris, Sciences Po Open Institute for Digital Transformations, created as part of the ExcellencES Transforming Interdisciplinary Education and Research for Evolving Democracies (TIERED) project, has been rallying researchers and students working in this field.

This is a compendium of the activities organised by the various entities at Sciences Po to complement the Summit, as the institution has historically been at the forefront of the critical questions that the humanities and social sciences can raise in times of great change.

Indeed, while politics, as the art of envisioning and implementing collective life, is making a dramatic comeback on the public stage, the revolution in digital technologies invites us to embrace a crucial question: “Can AI benefit democratic societies?”

What better opportunity than the AI Action Summit to address this question to the political leaders gathered in Paris for the occasion! Before, during, and after the Summit, Sciences Po researchers, teachers, students, alumni, and start-ups, each with their own skills and expertise, will contribute to shed light on the major issues at stake in a question that our democratic societies have a duty to address.

Sciences Po's road to the AI Action Summit is outlined below, with many events open to all, most of them at Sciences Po, some of them off-site. Almost a dozen events have been officially labelled “Road to the Summit”.

Upcoming Events

7 February 2025: “Y a-t-il une IA pour sauver la planète ?” from the Tribunal pour les générations futures, Road to the Summit

Sciences Po, through its Open Institute for Digital Transformations, partnered up with 8 leading public institutions in this trial simulation organised by the French media Usbek et Rica. Some fifty Sciences Po students are taking part in this event, including two on the jury, in the Amphithéâtre Richelieu, Sorbonne (Paris 5e).

7 February 2025: “IA: the citizen way”

The Tech & Global Affairs Innovation Hub of Sciences Po Paris School of International Affairs and the Conseil national du numérique are presenting the results of the public consultations carried out in autumn as part of the Summit, at the Economic, Social, and Environmental Council.

7 February 2025: “Democratizing AI: Open-Source Systems, Global Equity, and the Power of Inclusive Partnerships”

A discussion between Arancha González, Dean of the Paris School of International Affairs (PSIA) at Sciences Po, Vilas Dhar, President of the Patrick J. McGovern Foundation, and Maria Ressa, Nobel Laureate and journalist, on the potential of open-source AI in fostering equity, addressing disinformation, and democratising access for the global majority

8 February 2025: “Participatory AI Governance - Research & Practice Symposium”

A day-long open symposium organised by the Tech & Global Affairs Innovation Hub of the Paris School of International Affairs at Sciences Po with Connected by Data, bringing together academics and experts from civil society organisations dedicated to explore collaboratively the state of the art in participatory development and governance of AI.

8 and 9 February 2025: Interdisciplinary conference of the AI Action Summit “AI, Science and Society”, Road to the Summit

Jean-Philippe Cointet, researcher at Sciences Po médialab and Director of the Open Institute for Digital Transformations, along with two post-doctoral students from the médialab, Manon Berriche and Salim Hafid, discuss a poster entitled “Defining, Identifying, Measuring, Mitigating, Democratic Biases in Large Language Models”, at the École Polytechnique, Palaiseau.

11 February 2025: “AI for Economic Inclusion”, Road to the Summit

The Centre for Research on Social Inequalities is co-organising the launch of an International Panel on the Information Environment, under the direction of Jen Shradie, in Sciences Po Salons Scientifiques.

11  February 2025: “Artificial intelligence & Information manipulation: Navigating the risks and opportunities”, Road to the Summit

With the OECD & Viginum, a monitoring and protection service against foreign digital interference, with the participation of Donato Ricci, researcher and research designer at Sciences Po médialab, at Services du Gouvernement, 20 Avenue de Ségur, 75007 Paris.

11 February 2025: “Building Trust in AI: A Multifaceted Approach”, Road to the Summit

In cooperation with the Schwartz Reisman Institute at the University of Toronto, with the participation of Donato Ricci, researcher and research designer at the médialab of Sciences Po, at the École normale supérieure de la rue d'Ulm.

11 February 2025: “Advancing AI governance: Exploring adaptive frameworks and the role of sandboxes”, Road to the Summit

Organised by The Datasphere initiative, with the participation of Beatriz Botero Arcila, researcher at Sciences Po Law School, at the International Chamber of Commerce, Paris.

11 February 2025: “Construire des ponts : façonner la gouvernance mondiale de l’IA grâce à la collaboration multipartite”, Road to the Summit

Round table discussion led by Louis Denart, alumnus of the School of Public Affairs and currently International Digital Policy Fellow at the German Federal Ministry for Digital Affairs and Transport, at Sciences Po.

11 February 2025: “Aligning Urban AI and Global AI Governance”

Conference organised by Urban AI and Govlab, with Beatriz Botero Arcila, researcher at Sciences Po Law School, venue to be announced.

12 February 2025: “Understanding the roles and responsibilities across the AI value chain”, Road to the Summit

Workshop organised by Datasphere Initiative and Open Loop (Meta), with the participation of Beatriz Botero Arcila, researcher at Sciences Po Law School, at the Hôtel Marignan Champs-Élysées.

21 February 2025 : “L’IA peut-elle être au service de la démocratie ?”

A conference for the general public organised directly by the Open Institute for Digital Transformations with all the educational fields involved, to take a critical look at the issues at stake at the AI Action Summit, at Sciences Po.

Early March 2025: a “Special IA Action Summit” issue of the new Collection de Sciences Po to showcase student work

It will be co-designed by the Open Institute for Digital Transformations with all the educational fields involved and widely distributed at the beginning of March 2025, including to the Summit organisers and participants. In particular, it will include the discussions held during the student conference.

March 2025: Wrap-Up Event

Co-organised by the Open Institute for Digital Transformations and the Tech & Global Affairs Innovation Hub at Sciences Po Paris School of International Affairs.

Past Events

5 February 2025: “Paris AI Action Summit: What's Next for AI Governance?”, Road to the Summit

Conference co-organised by the Global Partnership on Artifical Intelligence Policy Lab (an initiative launched by former students of Sciences Po, École normale supérieure, and École polytechnique), the Cybersecurity Association of Sciences Po, and the Centre for AI Security, at Sciences Po.

28 January 2025: “AI & International Governance”

Organised by the Sciences Po American Foundation and the Tech & Global Affairs Innovation Hub of Sciences Po Paris School of International Affairs, online.

15 January 2025: “New Solidarity for an AI-disrupted Economy workshop”, Road to the Summit

Co-organised by the Global Solutions Initiative, RadicalXChange, and the Tech & Global Affairs Innovation Hub of the Sciences Po Paris School of International Affairs (PSIA), at the Stiftung Mercator, Berlin.

11 December 2024:  The 6th edition of the prestigious Athens Roundtable on AI and the Rule of Law, Road to the Summit

The Tech & Global Affairs Innovation Hub at Sciences Po Paris School of International Affairs joined this event organised by The Future Society. This 6th edition was an official side-event on the way to the AI Action Summit, at the OECD.

5 December 2024: Launch of the 2nd issue of Sciences Po magazine, Understanding Our Times

This issue entirely focused on digital transformations was launched by Sciences Po and coordinated by the Open Institute for Digital Transformations on the theme “Is Digital Technology Democratic?”

13 November 2024: “Electoral and political processes at risk of digital interference?”

Conference organised by the School of Public Affairs, at Sciences Po.

12 November 2024: “Paris Peace Forum official side event on the Road to AI Summit”, Road to the Summit

A day of conferences organised by the Tech and Global Affairs Innovation Hub of the Paris School of International Affairs, at Sciences Po. Starting in November 2024, the Paris Peace Forum, of which Sciences Po is a founding member, established itself as a major contributor to the IA Action Summit by focusing its debates on international initiatives in favour of the well-being of citizens and the ethical use of artificial intelligence for a more inclusive society.