She is the first ever AI minister in France as the country aims for global leadership in the tech amid political turmoil
Michel Barnier, the French Prime Minister, has named Clara Chappaz as the country’s first ever Minister for AI and Digitalisation. Unlike the previous minister responsible for digitalisation, she will report to Ministry of Higher Education and Research rather than the Ministry of Economy and Finance.
Aged 35, she is currently the the CEO of the government’s start-up entity, La French Tech. Since ChatGPT burst onto the scene in late 2022, France has set up two would-be rivals, Mistral AI (in which, controversially, Microsoft has invested) and H. During her three-year tenure, she has signed up 700 start-ups through the mechanism of an optional parity pact.
She is known as a champion of diversity and sustainability: according to Euronews, before her job at La French Tech, Chappaz was Chief Business Officer for the luxury second-hand clothing website Vestiaire Collective and also created a second-hand children’s clothing marketplace, Lullaby. She has a degree from Harvard Business School.
Michel Barnier was made Prime Minister by President Emmanuel Macron earlier this month, which for most people was a surprise appointment. The President also shocked the national by calling a snap general election in the summer, ahead of the Summer Olympics in Paris.