France’s armed forces ministry said on Thursday it will create an international center to promote and support the growing use of artificial intelligence in defense, as Europe races to strengthen its military technology capabilities and reduce its reliance on the United States.
The ministry is hoping that NATO will recognize the center, due to open in summer 2027, an official told reporters at a briefing.
AI tools have become key to warfare since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in 2022, helping to speed up battlefield decision-making by processing and interpreting large quantities of data produced by drones, satellites and other sensors.
However, Europe is reliant on US-based companies like Palantir for much of its AI-enabled military software.
The ministry has not yet finalized funding or international members for the center. It has invited representatives from other countries to a conference next week to outline its plans for the initiative.