VivaTech: no need to wait 20 years to see AI's impact; it's transforming Europe today

June promises to be a busy month for France - the country is actively preparing for a G7 summit in Évian-les-Bains on June 15–17, 2026. Right after, on June 17–20, the biggest French and European technology conference, VivaTech, will take place. We sat down with VivaTech’s Managing Director, François Bitouzet, to discuss this year's conference focus, the potential of AI for European economies, European tech sovereignty, and the EU’s approach to data and simplification.

With the global scene increasingly overtaken by the debate between techno-optimists and techno-pessimists, François Bitouzet is direct:

“I think both me, VivaTech, and Europe are techno-optimists, but the notion of progress and technology is not always directly linked everywhere in the world. The European motto is that tech is too important to be left only to tech people,  therefore, we also need citizens, scientists, artists, and politicians to have a seat at the table when making decisions on tech policy - and Europe is doing exactly that.”

Tech sovereignty: two schools of thought

Recently, the EU Commission unveiled its Tech Sovereignty package, focusing on chips, AI, cloud, open source, and energy resilience. While the industry and Member States are busy analyzing the proposals, the general divisions of opinion remain the same - the scope, the definition, and how the EU's tech sovereignty measures should be financed continue to attract significant debate.

When asked about the approach the EU should take to meet both the short-term needs of the local industry and its long-term ambition for tech sovereignty, Bitouzet emphasized the two main schools of thought:

“One says that being sovereign means to be completely, one hundred percent independent from anyone in the world - that’s a very French, Gaullist way of thinking. Another point of view relies on diversification and developing local technology solutions.”

Bitouzet believes that the tech sovereignty debate should be categorized according to strategic importance:

“Maybe, for example, music streaming is not strategic, and sovereignty should not be pursued there, but health data is - it’s crucial, and you have to be sovereign.”

According to Bitouzet, this year’s conference will be visited by two high-level Commission representatives, a dozen European ministers, and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, from whom, in his opinion, Europe can learn: “The idea of sovereignty is deeply rooted in the Indian state of mind. As an example, their tech foundation focuses on issues such as digital identity and virtual payments, where India tries to develop its own solutions."

Focus on real-life and existing benefits of AI

With the European AI Continent Action Plan and the Apply AI strategy in place, Member States are now seeking tangible ways to deploy AI across various sectors, aiming to boost productivity and unlock new opportunities. 

VivaTech Managing Director promises to shine a spotlight on real-life examples of how emerging technologies can actively deliver on that promise:

“Often, people focus on the benefits that AI can bring in 20 or 30 years. At the VivaTech this year, we will focus on concrete, already existing applications of AI in areas such as banking, insurance, luxury goods, the automotive sector, and healthcare - and see how it helps productivity and sales, and how it transforms the way we work and design. This year, we will have around 30 business sectors showcasing concrete examples to politicians.”

Data as a precious resource that needs to be managed accordingly

European industry representatives, especially startup founders, frequently complain that complying with data and digital regulations is a full-time job, diverting their attention from business development. Mario Draghi has previously noted that the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) alone makes business 20% more expensive for European companies than for their US counterparts.

VivaTech’s Bitouzet did not reveal whether he thinks the EU’s current trajectory - with data and AI simplification packages under the Digital Omnibus - should become a permanent, continued exercise as the European tech industry faces increasing regulatory overlaps and burdens. However, he admitted that the European vision is slowly shifting:

“For a long time, the European vision was to be as strict as possible about data; now, people understand that if we want more innovation, we need to allow people to access it more easily.”

He also added that data remains a precious resource that must be managed properly:

“If data is important, we need to take care of it accordingly.”

When asked if Europe manages to balance data protection with business and innovation needs, he noted:

“We are moving forward. All of these questions are new to everyone, and we are allowed to make changes if previous actions went too far. But it’s also important to keep the same direction, and I think Europe is doing exactly this - we’re not jumping in the opposite direction, we’re trying to streamline and improve.”