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One of Europe’s biggest technology and startup events, VivaTech, is underway in the French capital, with AI at the top of the agenda. Around 200,000 visitors, including one of the world’s most famous entrepreneurs, Amazon founder Jeff Bezos, alongside ViveTech regular, French President Emmanuel Macron.
Out on the show floor, Euronews has been asking visitors the same two questions: which technology worries them most, and which one excites them most. The answer to both, more often than not, is artificial intelligence.
“Oh, definitely AI,” said one student from Morocco. Spanish tech worker Maria Isabel Fernandez Polo said AI is a tool that can deliver real benefits, but one that needs careful handling. “I think it can be amazing, but we need to be aware of the possibilities,” she said.
Some visitors are most taken by specific products. Kivuila Mavuidi from DRC pointed to Google’s chatbot: “Obviously it’s Gemini, Gemini from Google,” he smiled.
Maurice Lévy, former CEO of Publicis Groupe and co-founder of VivaTech, sees something both promising and possibly unsettling at the heart of this year’s show. “Humanoid robotics, because this is something which is scary, and opens new dreams,” he said.
A French student summed up the mood many feel toward AI more broadly. “It has double edges. It can have a lot of benefits for humanity, but at the same time it could take us to places that we don’t want to go,” she said.
Some of France’s biggest companies have a presence here, among them LVMH, Orange, L’Oréal and Airbus, alongside hundreds of smaller startups showing off fresh innovations.
A memorable demonstration came from audio company Skyted, whose marketing consultant Clémence Gorjux showed off an earpiece designed to let people speak privately even in noisy public places. The device is designed for business leaders and politicians, as well as individuals, who want to chat quietly without anyone hearing in public places.
Not every innovation on show comes from a corporate giant. Batterizy, a French association where 75% of employees are disabled people, is exhibiting a solar-rechargeable mobile battery system aimed at festivals and building sites.
With thousands of innovations spread across the halls, VivaTech’s 10th edition is also offering at least one answer for the more anxious visitor. French company Lifepods is showcasing a personal survival capsule, built for flood zones, tsunami risk areas and earthquake zones. Perfect for the disaster-movie scenario when the AI powered robots take over the world.