Bertrand Rondepierre, head of France's Ministerial Agency for Defense Artificial Intelligence (AMIAD), says the country's greatest challenge is preparing for the malicious use of AI while remaining faithful to democratic principles and international law. In an interview with Le Monde, he emphasized that AI-powered threats—including autonomous weapons, cyberattacks, and battlefield decision systems—are inevitable, making it essential for France to develop advanced defensive capabilities without abandoning human oversight or ethical standards.
Rondepierre stressed that technological sovereignty has become a national security priority. France wants to avoid any situation in which its military operations depend on access to AI technologies controlled by foreign governments or companies. He argued that AI has become a strategic geopolitical asset and criticized proposals for global AI research moratoriums, suggesting they primarily benefit countries and companies that already dominate the technology while slowing potential competitors. He also noted that Chinese AI models are becoming increasingly competitive with their U.S. counterparts, underscoring the intensifying global AI race.
Despite advocating rapid AI development for defense, Rondepierre reaffirmed France's commitment to the "human-in-the-loop" principle. Under this approach, humans remain responsible for critical military decisions, particularly those involving the use of force. He said AI should assist military personnel rather than replace human judgment, ensuring accountability, operational risk assessment, and compliance with France's ethical and legal standards. The recent designation of defense AI as an "essential national security interest" also gives France greater control over AI procurement, sensitive data, and strategic technologies.
Rondepierre concluded that preparing for AI-driven warfare requires balancing innovation with responsibility. France must understand and develop technologies capable of countering autonomous weapons and other AI-enabled threats, even if it chooses not to deploy such capabilities offensively. In his view, the objective is to ensure that democratic nations remain technologically competitive while preserving transparency, human responsibility, and the values they seek to defend.
