Prime Minister Narendra Modi and French President Emmanuel Macron on Thursday jointly participated in VivaTech 2026, Europe’s largest technology and start-up event, with the Indian leader outlining New Delhi’s vision for human-centric artificial intelligence and highlighting the expanding India-France partnership in emerging technologies.Addressing an audience comprising entrepreneurs, start-ups, investors and business leaders in Paris, Modi underlined how technology had driven transformative changes in India, ranging from digital payments and AI-enabled agricultural solutions to cutting-edge space applications.The Prime Minister stressed the importance of ensuring that advances in artificial intelligence and frontier technologies remain human-centric and inclusive, while pointing to the growing scope of cooperation between India and France in critical and emerging technologies.Following the keynote address, Modi and Macron interacted with Indian start-ups and innovators exhibiting advanced technologies and practical solutions in sectors such as healthcare, mobility, sustainability and industry.India is the AI Country Partner for VivaTech 2026 and has mounted its largest-ever presence at the annual event, with pavilions showcasing the country’s innovation ecosystem across artificial intelligence, digital public infrastructure, health-tech, clean technologies, mobility and advanced computing.More than 80 Indian deep-tech companies and start-ups are participating in the event.The Prime Minister’s Office said Modi’s participation is expected to further strengthen collaboration between the Indian and French technology ecosystems.India’s engagement with VivaTech has steadily expanded over the years. Modi had delivered the keynote address at the event in 2021, while India became the first “Country of the Year” at VivaTech in 2022. The organisers have also recently formalised cooperation with the Bengaluru Tech Summit.This year’s participation assumes added significance as India and France are celebrating 2026 as the India-France Year of Innovation, reflecting the growing strategic convergence between the two countries in the field of technology and innovation.