High-tech giants plan new hires in France for AI

PARIS - Several international high-tech giants, including IBM, Microsoft and Uber, have announced plans to creat new jobs in high-tech areas, including of artificial intelligence (AI), on occasion of the summit "Tech for good", organized by French President Emmanuel Macron.

IBM announced on Wednesday through its CEO Ginni Rometty the creation of 1,800 jobs in France over the next two years. These jobs are in advanced areas such as artificial intelligence (AI), blockchain, cloud and the Internet of Things.

These 1,800 new jobs include the 400 jobs announced by IBM in March in the sector of AI. With these new hires, IBM plans to strengthen its national presence by creating centers of expertise in the region with local public and private partners, as already established in French cities as Lille and Strasbourg, reported the French newspaper Le Figaro.

Microsoft announced in a press release on the same day that more than 100 experts will be recruited this year in Microsoft France to support the implementation of innovative projects around AI.

"If the deployment of ethical and trustworthy Artificial Intelligence is likely to meet the major challenges of our society, we are convinced that it also promotes an unprecedented dynamic growth. In this context, France has unique strengths to play a leading role," said Carlo Purassanta, president of Microsoft France in the statement.

CEO of Uber, Dara Khosrowshahi, announced at the same time measures to let drivers and couriers in Europe benefit from free health protection and accident prevention in case of accident and also compensation in case of accident cases of work stoppage related to an injury or illness, or in the event of life events such as the arrival of a baby.

Chinese digital giant Tencent also shared its experiences of implementing the concept of "Tech for good" at the summit.

"For example, the 'Penguin Love the Earth' project has established entrances on the WeChat and QQ platforms, encouraging users to report the illegal wildlife trade hidden in network platforms. It has become an important workforce to crack down on cybercrimes," Seng Yee Lau, Senior Executive Vice President, Chairman of Marketing and Global Branding of Tencent said.