In brief
A commission of French experts has released a report urging tighter regulation of generative artificial intelligence, highlighting risks to cognition and society and proposing 18 recommendations ranging from risk assessments to nationwide education. The commission’s findings coincide with French President Emmanuel Macron’s recent call for an AI ban in contexts that threaten children’s mental health. The report also suggests an interministerial protocol to swiftly counteract misinformation and disinformation.
In Paris, a national commission of experts has argued that France should tighten regulation of generative artificial intelligence after a report warned that the technology could erode cognitive skills, damage mental health and threaten social cohesion.
The document, titled “Protecting Without Hindering: Vulnerabilities in the Age of Generative AI,” notes that 33 million unique users in France have turned to the technology earlier this year and that a quarter of the population has expressed concern about its possible dangers.
According to the commission, excessive use of generative AI could weaken users’ cognitive abilities, foster emotional attachment to digital tools, and amplify the intensity of online violence. It also warns that the software could amplify disinformation and manipulation, potentially jeopardising democracy and social cohesion.
The commission put forward 18 recommendations aimed at preventing the risks identified in its study. Its proposals include making a multidisciplinary risk assessment a prerequisite for any consumer generative AI system before it reaches the market, implementing design safeguards that limit the software’s tendency to flatter or anthropomorphise users, and promoting large‑scale AI education from an early age to help children and adults remain critically engaged with the technology.
The report also calls for an interministerial protocol that would allow rapid detection and response to disinformation threats, ensuring a coordinated national response.
French President Emmanuel Macron echoed the report’s urgency in a statement on Nov. 9, saying that artificial intelligence should be banned wherever it poses a risk to the mental health of children.
“Artificial intelligence should be banned where it jeopardises the mental health of children,” Macron said.
Macron’s remarks add political weight to the commission’s recommendations and underline the government’s willingness to take decisive legal and regulatory action in an area that has been advancing too quickly for many to fully understand.
While the commission’s report focuses specifically on France, its findings reflect a growing concern among policymakers worldwide about the rapidly expanding role of generative AI platforms. By recommending an early risk assessment, transparent design standards, a long‑term public education strategy, and a national coordination mechanism, the commission proposes a comprehensive framework that could guide regulators in other countries facing similar challenges.
With an estimated 33 million users, French citizens stand to be among the most exposed to generative AI’s potential hazards. The commission’s call for tighter oversight seeks to protect cognitive health, safeguard children’s well‑being, and preserve the social fabric that could be undermined by unchecked information manipulation.