Emmanuel Macron is making a point. He’s shared deepfake videos of his face superimposed on to celebrities’ bodies.
One includes the French AI president sporting a mullet, another shows him dancing to the disco hit Voyage, Voyage. There’s Macron rapping, having a hairstyling lesson and appearing in the spy-comedy film OSS117.
We want to embark on the AI revolution
JD Vance,
US Vice President
At one point he’s the US action hero MacGyver. It’s not sinister, this isn’t a collection his security has downloaded from social media; it’s all been done with his approval. As he says, excitedly: “That’s really me.”
It's to show the brilliance of tech, heralding the launch of France’s two-day AI Action Summit in Paris. World leaders are attending, along with AI superstars, such as OpenAI’s Sam Altman.
Macron is co-hosting with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi. As a statement of power and intent, the gathering at the Grand Palais takes some beating. It’s designed to show French, and by extension EU, commitment to developing and expanding AI, backed by heavyweight global investment totalling $109 billion, up to $50 billion of which is coming from UAE.
“This is the equivalent for France of what the US announced for Stargate,” said Macron, referencing US President Donald Trump’s $500 billion AI infrastructure project to harness Chat GPT, Oracle and SoftBank. The medley of fake videos, said Macron, was the fun part, the amuse-bouche. “More seriously, with artificial intelligence, we can do some very big things: change health care, energy, life in our society. France and Europe must be at the heart of this revolution to seize every opportunity and also to promote our principles.
That is the takeaway, that France and the EU are in a race and they will not be left behind. Until recently, there was the nagging feeling that Europe did not take AI seriously, or at least it was not as smitten as the two powerhouses of the US and China. For so long a cradle of innovation and advancement, the bloc was preferring to dwell on past glories, rather than forging ahead. The “M&M” conference is intended to put that doubt to rest.
Even the choice of Macron’s co-chairman is redolent with symbolism. Modi’s India is grasping AI as an opportunity to make a dramatic leap, allying home-grown talent to a vast underlying need and appetite. The combination of France, EU, India and the UAE has the potential to be more than a match for American and Chinese muscle.
With good reason, the French media and public are entranced. This represents a huge step forward, restoring national pride, appealing to youth, embracing technology. It puts their country and its neighbours on an international par, for once pushing Silicon Valley and its accompanying razzamatazz to the sidelines. It plays as well to historical strength. Like Britain, France and its EU members have excelled previously – and love saying so – but have proved unable or unwilling to draw on that legacy to progress AI, not in a concerted, focused manner.
While no one doubts Macron’s seriousness and vision, the test will be just how far France and the EU want to proceed and at what pace. Ironically, while their President used clever montages to illustrate the brilliant potential of AI, local sceptics were lining up to carp at AI’s harmful side, highlighting the use of content without permission – in material just like Macron’s opening montage, except often much worse.
There is a fear of Europe allowing itself to be ground down in regulation, concentrating on the negative aspects of AI and failing to see the technology for what it is and more importantly, what it can achieve. The most vital statistic of all, amid a sea of research and surveys, should be the one from the World Economic Forum, that AI could add €2.7 billion to Europe’s economy by 2030. This ought to be the overriding number, not least for a region that has been slowing economically.
Rowing about the rules while China catapults DeepSeek and Donald Trump’s US deregulates apace cannot be the answer. That’s not to say attention must be afforded to AI’s downside, of course it must but it’s a matter of degree.
Where the EU and, indeed, Britain are concerned, there is the suspicion that the new tech is instinctively viewed as alien, to be challenged and picked apart, based on cultural values rather than something to be wholeheartedly embraced and nurtured. Those non-scientific politicians and social commentators, many of them older, prefer to drive in the slow lane not the fast highway.
As new US Vice President JD Vance warned at the Paris summit: “We want to embark on the AI revolution before us with the spirit of openness and collaboration, but to create that kind of trust we need international regulatory regimes that foster creation.” He went on to echo complaints from US companies of European efforts to rein in big tech, calling for a legal regime that “does not strangle” AI.
Inevitably, there will be those who immediately rebel against Vance, playing the man, together with his boss, and not the message.
Vance did not say regulation-free, he was seeking a framework that would also allow AI to flourish. That, surely, should be France and the EU’s goal. They have the resources – the backing of the likes of Macron, educational excellence and, thanks to UAE and others, the requisite funding. AI is theirs for the taking.
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Four motivational quotes from Alicia's Dubai talk
“The only thing we need is to know that we have faith. Faith and hope in our own dreams. The belief that, when we keep going we’re going to find our way. That’s all we got.”
“Sometimes we try so hard to keep things inside. We try so hard to pretend it’s not really bothering us. In some ways, that hurts us more. You don’t realise how dishonest you are with yourself sometimes, but I realised that if I spoke it, I could let it go.”
“One good thing is to know you’re not the only one going through it. You’re not the only one trying to find your way, trying to find yourself, trying to find amazing energy, trying to find a light. Show all of yourself. Show every nuance. All of your magic. All of your colours. Be true to that. You can be unafraid.”
“It’s time to stop holding back. It’s time to do it on your terms. It’s time to shine in the most unbelievable way. It’s time to let go of negativity and find your tribe, find those people that lift you up, because everybody else is just in your way.”
The alternatives
• Founded in 2014, Telr is a payment aggregator and gateway with an office in Silicon Oasis. It’s e-commerce entry plan costs Dh349 monthly (plus VAT). QR codes direct customers to an online payment page and merchants can generate payments through messaging apps.
• Business Bay’s Pallapay claims 40,000-plus active merchants who can invoice customers and receive payment by card. Fees range from 1.99 per cent plus Dh1 per transaction depending on payment method and location, such as online or via UAE mobile.
• Tap started in May 2013 in Kuwait, allowing Middle East businesses to bill, accept, receive and make payments online “easier, faster and smoother” via goSell and goCollect. It supports more than 10,000 merchants. Monthly fees range from US$65-100, plus card charges of 2.75-3.75 per cent and Dh1.2 per sale.
• 2checkout’s “all-in-one payment gateway and merchant account” accepts payments in 200-plus markets for 2.4-3.9 per cent, plus a Dh1.2-Dh1.8 currency conversion charge. The US provider processes online shop and mobile transactions and has 17,000-plus active digital commerce users.
• PayPal is probably the best-known online goods payment method - usually used for eBay purchases - but can be used to receive funds, providing everyone’s signed up. Costs from 2.9 per cent plus Dh1.2 per transaction.
Russia's Muslim Heartlands
Dominic Rubin, Oxford
The candidates
Dr Ayham Ammora, scientist and business executive
Ali Azeem, business leader
Tony Booth, professor of education
Lord Browne, former BP chief executive
Dr Mohamed El-Erian, economist
Professor Wyn Evans, astrophysicist
Dr Mark Mann, scientist
Gina MIller, anti-Brexit campaigner
Lord Smith, former Cabinet minister
Sandi Toksvig, broadcaster
Pharaoh's curse
British aristocrat Lord Carnarvon, who funded the expedition to find the Tutankhamun tomb, died in a Cairo hotel four months after the crypt was opened.
He had been in poor health for many years after a car crash, and a mosquito bite made worse by a shaving cut led to blood poisoning and pneumonia.
Reports at the time said Lord Carnarvon suffered from “pain as the inflammation affected the nasal passages and eyes”.
Decades later, scientists contended he had died of aspergillosis after inhaling spores of the fungus aspergillus in the tomb, which can lie dormant for months. The fact several others who entered were also found dead withiin a short time led to the myth of the curse.
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Labour dispute
The insured employee may still file an ILOE claim even if a labour dispute is ongoing post termination, but the insurer may suspend or reject payment, until the courts resolve the dispute, especially if the reason for termination is contested. The outcome of the labour court proceedings can directly affect eligibility.
- Abdullah Ishnaneh, Partner, BSA Law
Dust and sand storms compared
Sand storm
- Particle size: Larger, heavier sand grains
- Visibility: Often dramatic with thick "walls" of sand
- Duration: Short-lived, typically localised
- Travel distance: Limited
- Source: Open desert areas with strong winds
Dust storm
- Particle size: Much finer, lightweight particles
- Visibility: Hazy skies but less intense
- Duration: Can linger for days
- Travel distance: Long-range, up to thousands of kilometres
- Source: Can be carried from distant regions
ABU%20DHABI'S%20KEY%20TOURISM%20GOALS%3A%20BY%20THE%20NUMBERS
%3Cp%3EBy%202030%2C%20Abu%20Dhabi%20aims%20to%20achieve%3A%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3E%E2%80%A2%2039.3%20million%20visitors%2C%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20nearly%2064%25%20up%20from%202023%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3E%E2%80%A2%20Dh90%20billion%20contribution%20to%20GDP%2C%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20about%2084%25%20more%20than%20Dh49%20billion%20in%202023%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3E%E2%80%A2%20178%2C000%20new%20jobs%2C%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20bringing%20the%20total%20to%20about%20366%2C000%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3E%E2%80%A2%2052%2C000%20hotel%20rooms%2C%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20up%2053%25%20from%2034%2C000%20in%202023%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3E%E2%80%A2%207.2%20million%20international%20visitors%2C%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20almost%2090%25%20higher%20compared%20to%202023's%203.8%20million%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3E%E2%80%A2%203.9%20international%20overnight%20hotel%20stays%2C%3C%2Fstrong%3E%2022%25%20more%20from%203.2%20nights%20in%202023%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
Tips to stay safe during hot weather
- Stay hydrated: Drink plenty of fluids, especially water. Avoid alcohol and caffeine, which can increase dehydration.
- Seek cool environments: Use air conditioning, fans, or visit community spaces with climate control.
- Limit outdoor activities: Avoid strenuous activity during peak heat. If outside, seek shade and wear a wide-brimmed hat.
- Dress appropriately: Wear lightweight, loose and light-coloured clothing to facilitate heat loss.
- Check on vulnerable people: Regularly check in on elderly neighbours, young children and those with health conditions.
- Home adaptations: Use blinds or curtains to block sunlight, avoid using ovens or stoves, and ventilate living spaces during cooler hours.
- Recognise heat illness: Learn the signs of heat exhaustion and heat stroke (dizziness, confusion, rapid pulse, nausea), and seek medical attention if symptoms occur.
Bib%20Gourmand%20restaurants
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COMPANY PROFILE
Name: Akeed
Based: Muscat
Launch year: 2018
Number of employees: 40
Sector: Online food delivery
Funding: Raised $3.2m since inception
Griselda
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MATCH INFO
Delhi Daredevils 174-4 (20 ovs)
Mumbai Indians 163 (19.3 ovs)
Delhi won the match by 11 runs
The specs: 2018 Chevrolet Trailblazer
Price, base / as tested Dh99,000 / Dh132,000
Engine 3.6L V6
Transmission: Six-speed automatic
Power 275hp @ 6,000rpm
Torque 350Nm @ 3,700rpm
Fuel economy combined 12.2L / 100km
The%20specs
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