Article published on « Voix d’entrepreneurs » in partnership with Le Figaro on 8 October 2025
Artificial intelligence (AI) continues to transform our societies at an unprecedented pace. From healthcare to agriculture, education to finance, its applications are multiplying across every sector. Up against the United States and China in the global race for generative AI, can Europe chart an alternative, more responsible course? Two experts offer their vision on this topic. Gilles Babinet, an entrepreneur and chair of the AI Café initiative, and Pascale Seivy, Commercial Director at Lombard Odier in France, are calling for an ambitious European strategy based on regulation, frugal use of energy and the targeted application of AI. While progress towards sustainability – the cornerstone of Europe's vision and supported by financial players like Lombard Odier – has slowed in 2025 amid geopolitical uncertainty, the energy crisis, and budgetary trade-offs implemented by certain member states, this transition remains both inevitable and structurally important for the future of innovation.
Gilles Babinet: What excites me is the interface between technology and society. AI is not an abstract promise, but a tangible reality. From now on, it will shape how we produce things, acquire knowledge, diagnose disease or care for people. In healthcare, it is revolutionising diagnostic practices. In administration, it is kickstarting a move towards radical disintermediation driven by the emergence of intelligent agents. As for industry and agriculture, they have already been extensively reshaped by these tools.
The stakes are high: we must ensure that artificial intelligence is not just powerful, but also sovereign and ethical. Only then will it truly serve human progress
We are at a pivotal moment in history. For the first time, we spend more time interacting with machines, or with the content they generate, than with our peers. It is a fundamental shift that some academics have been quick to describe as a third anthropological revolution. It represents a major rupture, potentially a sign of the hybridisation of humans and machines. Using ChatGPT, for example, already involves a form of cognitive hybridisation.
Pascale Seivy: We are at a genuine tipping point. A new revolution is underway, and I see it as a cataclysm, but a positive one, if the right safeguards are in place. The stakes are high: we must ensure that artificial intelligence is not just powerful, but also sovereign and ethical. Only then will it truly serve human progress.
Read also: Future-proof | Lombard Odier
Gilles Babinet: European regulators are often accused of stifling innovation. In reality, numerous studies by leading economists such as Michael Porter1 show that, far from acting as a brake, regulation can actually accelerate the positive effects of innovation. I believe that the United States' decision not to regulate this technology is a strategic error, although I acknowledge that current European regulation can sometimes appear overly bureaucratic. However, the facts speak for themselves: in just a few years, Europe has established a dynamic artificial intelligence ecosystem. Major players like Mistral, LightOn and Kyutai in France, Aleph Alpha in Germany and iGenius in Italy embody this vitality. Digital sovereignty also requires the capacity to establish a robust and competitive process.
In just a few years, Europe has established a dynamic artificial intelligence ecosystem. Major players like Mistral, LightOn and Kyutai in France, Aleph Alpha in Germany and iGenius in Italy embody this vitality
Pascale Seivy: Regulation is not a luxury, but a strategic necessity. At a time when the issue of nation-states' sovereignty is well and truly back on the agenda; it is crucial to establish a clear framework for AI. Yes, we are talking about ethical and sovereign artificial intelligence, but we also need to define precisely what shape this should take. This can be achieved through a mix of ambitious legislation, such as the AI Act, and responsible use. The challenge is to create regulation that serves not as a hindrance but as guidance. This is what will allow Europe to develop AI that is not only powerful, but also respects fundamental values and is capable of establishing itself on the world stage.
Pascale Seivy: Yes, AI can be compatible with the environmental transition. It is entirely possible to develop models that consume a lot less energy. That is called frugal AI, and it already exists. The challenge is to encourage its development through intelligent regulation and by directing financing toward responsible usage. Sustainable finance has a key role to play here. By supporting AI applications that help reduce emissions and optimise resources, it becomes a strategic lever in the fight against climate change. Consider, for example, the use of liquid cooling in data centres, which the International Energy Agency says can reduce electricity consumption by 20–40%2, or algorithms that are able to optimise the energy management of buildings and electricity networks in real time, producing energy savings of up to 15%3. AI should not be seen as an obstacle, but as a crucial component of the solution.
AI can be compatible with the environmental transition… That is called frugal AI, and it already exists. The challenge is to encourage its development through intelligent regulation and by directing financing toward responsible usage
Gilles Babinet: The energy challenges associated with AI are not an inevitability. It is much easier to create sustainable models if you focus on specific uses. The problem is that investment is currently focused on general-purpose AI architectures based on foundation models, such as ChatGPT, Gemini and the like, which consume extremely large amounts of energy.
A quasi-messianic discourse is forming. Some people dream of models capable of surpassing humans in all areas: this is the vision touted by figures such as Sam Altman and Elon Musk. For me, however, what really counts are vertical AI architectures designed for highly specific domains. The results are already evident in healthcare, sustainable finance and cybersecurity. Companies like Owkin and BioNTech, for example, are leveraging AI to speed up biomedical research. It's this kind of targeted progress that we need to ramp up.
Read also: How can AI speed up the decarbonisation of business? | Lombard Odier
Pascale Seivy: Yes. The EU has launched several major initiatives, starting with the Green Deal and the taxonomy for sustainable activities, which aims to direct financing towards sustainable projects. Even though some flagship measures have recently been weakened or called into question, there are still strong signs of progress for the European economy. These mechanisms clearly show that the EU intends to play a leading role in the responsible use of new technologies – and artificial intelligence in particular.
Gilles Babinet: European public policy is clearly moving in the right direction, but there are still major structural obstacles to overcome. The lack of integration in the financial markets is constraining the growth of our start-ups. And the extreme level of regulatory fragmentation, for example, with 27 data protection authorities, one for each of the EU's 27 member states, makes it considerably more complicated to scale up solutions.
However, Europe holds all the cards. It has the talent, the infrastructure and potential leadership on climate issues. Provided it can overcome its own constraints, it can establish itself as the continent where technological innovation is entirely at the service of the environment.
The European Green Deal is more than just a simple slogan. It enshrines into law the goals of reducing emissions by 55% by 2030 and achieving climate neutrality by 20504. Since 2019, Brussels has proposed 168 measures, 98 of which have already been adopted and are legally binding – proof that the project is progressing despite resistance5. Among the key levers is the CBAM6 (Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism), which is currently in a pilot phase, before the definitive regime comes into force in 2026. It marks a world first in the pricing of carbon emitted through international trade.
Within energy, the RED III Directive now stipulates that by 2030 at least 42.5% of European consumption must come from renewable sources (indicative target: 45%). The reality of sustainable finance has not yet caught up with its ambition, however, with the data for 2025 showing that only around 2% of the turnover and 2.3% of the capital expenditure of European companies are actually aligned with the green taxonomy. The various stakeholders – states, institutions and businesses – therefore still have a very long way to go if they are to meet the challenge of a net zero world by 2050.
AI will gradually spread into all parts of the economy until it becomes part of the structure, invisible but omnipresent
Gilles Babinet: We are currently investing hundreds of billions of euros in artificial intelligence, notably through the European Commission's InvestAI8 initiative, which was launched in February 2025 and aims to mobilise EUR 200 billion for AI infrastructures, models and uses in Europe. Member states are also doing their bit. In France, for example, public and private investors committed more than EUR 109 billion9 at the AI Action Summit in Paris.
AI will gradually spread into all parts of the economy until it becomes part of the structure, invisible but omnipresent. A generation from now, the very concept of a "technology sector" could well disappear. We will no longer be talking about tech as a separate sphere, because it will be deeply integrated into all lines of work, all industries, and the entirety of public policy. It is a transformation comparable to the advent of electricity.
Pascale Seivy: This change is already well underway. There is not a single company today created without a technological element. Whether in healthcare, agriculture, finance or education, technology runs through all projects and all economic models. Technology and artificial intelligence are no longer exclusively the domain of engineers; they are becoming a common language across society.
1 Porter hypothesis - Wikipedia
2 Energy demand from AI – Energy and AI – Analysis - IEA
3 Smart Building Sensors: Real Cases Show Major Energy Savings & Cost Cuts | IoT For All
4 European Climate Law – European Commission
5 The EU Green Deal in turbulent times: insights from the EU Green Policy Tracker from Sweden and Estonia | SEI
6 Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism – European Commission
7 PwC analysis: The Taxonomy KPIs for European financial institutions show little progress
8 EU launches InvestAI initiative to mobilise €200 billion
9 Paris accueille le sommet pour l’action sur l’IA | info.gouv.fr
This is a marketing communication issued by Bank Lombard Odier & Co Ltd (hereinafter “Lombard Odier”).
It is not intended for distribution, publication, or use in any jurisdiction where such distribution, publication, or use would be unlawful, nor is it aimed at any person or entity to whom it would be unlawful to address such a marketing communication.
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