French President Emmanuel Macron on Thursday said India and France would jointly shape the future of artificial intelligence, highlighting India’s digital public infrastructure as a model for inclusive technological growth and strategic autonomy.Addressing the India AI Impact Summit alongside Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Macron said India had demonstrated how technology could transform everyday life, citing digital identity, large-scale payments and health platforms that brought millions into the formal economy.“What was once impossible — financial access for millions — became reality through India’s digital architecture,” he said, describing the country’s interoperable public digital systems as a “civilisational shift” rather than merely a technological advance.The French leader noted that artificial intelligence had now become a central arena of geopolitical competition, but argued that India and Europe were pursuing an alternative path based on independence, cooperation and responsible innovation.He said India’s strategy of building smaller, task-specific AI models and expanding affordable computing capacity complemented Europe’s investments in sovereign large-language models and secure infrastructure. Together, he added, the two approaches could offer a balanced global framework that avoids dependence on a handful of dominant technology ecosystems.‘Make in India central to Rafale project’French President Emmanuel Macron said ‘Make in India’ would be central to the Rafale fighter jet project for India. Speaking on the sidelines of the AI summit, he said, “We want to expand. India confirmed a few days ago its willingness.” He was referring to India’s requirement for 114 Rafale jets to be produced by French aircraft maker Dassault. He added, “Make in India will be core to this new Rafale order. And on top of that, we want to strengthen cooperation in maintenance capabilities.”Macron highlighted growing bilateral collaboration in healthcare AI, language technologies and sustainable computing, including joint research partnerships and tools aimed at supporting Indian languages and public services.He also emphasised workforce development, noting India trains hundreds of thousands of engineers annually and has one of the world’s largest developer communities, making it central to global AI innovation.Calling for wider international cooperation, Macron said India’s partnerships, including emerging technology initiatives with Gulf countries and Africa, reflected a broader push to ensure AI benefits developing nations rather than deepening inequalities.“The future of AI will belong to those who combine innovation with responsibility,” he said, adding that Paris and New Delhi would work together to create technology that was accessible, safe and sustainable.“The journey has just begun — India and France will help shape this future together,” he said.