VivaTech, the biggest technology and start-up conference in Europe, accelerates innovation and gathers brilliant minds and intellectual capabilities, from individuals working on innovative projects to influential figures like Emmanuel Macron, Elon Musk or Yann LeCun. The event showcases cutting-edge developments and technologies, providing an opportunity to learn about recent advancements, planned innovations and to build collaboration among all technology enthusiasts.
What were the key themes and trends observed at VivaTech?
Beyond all the new technologies of our present and our future, AI hype train came a runnin’. As it’s been said multiple times by many speakers: AI is not new, transformers are not new, but now that the technology has become accessible to non-technical users, there’s now no denying its reach, impact, importance, and weight. The event highlighted how AI is transforming various industries, including transportation, logistics, healthcare, and marketing. The discussions revolved around leveraging AI to enhance products, services, and daily lives. The commitment to AI was evident, with exhibitors showcasing real-world use cases and technologies. Key topics of concern included GDPR, AI governance, data privacy and security, and the ethical implications of AI. Additionally, sustainability emerged as a crucial aspect for the technology sector, with a need to address emissions and prioritize renewable energy sources.
Which industries or sectors were prominently featured?
AI's reach has expanded beyond data scientists and programmers, becoming a daily tool for marketers, creatives, medical practitioners and even for lawyers - with a special care. It is actively utilized across industries, including technology, accounting, healthcare, wellness, sport, environment, logistics, transportation, commerce, FMCG, insurance, urban planning, and entertainment. The presence of established companies like Amazon, Meta, Google, PwC, KPMG, Sanofi, Alstom, Cainiao, and Alibaba was notable at VivaTech, alongside numerous promising startups.
Were there any emerging technologies that stood out?
Pretty much every single company that came to VivaTech had something groundbreaking to show – from innovative frameworks leveraging AI capabilities to enhancement of current operational models to cutting-edge tools such as a decision-making assistant providing insights generated in real time from available data. Generative AI emerged as a prominent technology, revolutionizing industries, and causing panic among creatives: “How can we compete?!” However, it should be viewed as a tool, not a replacement for human expertise. Some of the VivaTech speakers compared Generative AI introduction to a switch from manual photography retouch to using Photoshop, others recalled writing HTML code in notepad, before dedicated tools were created allowing for a more straightforward experience. Generative AI is fundamental to some other technologies presented and talked about in Paris. Let’s take Synthetic Data as an example. What is it? Most simply put – a dataset generated with Generative AI. Why should we care? Because GDPR, governance, and data security are currently an absolute priority to be addressed. VivaTech featured actual use cases, such as Sanofi's decision-making app and Morgan Stanley's GPT-4-powered chatbot assistant.
What is the most valuable insight(s) that you gained from attending the conference
Everyone’s current focus is on AI, with Generative AI taking center stage of this revolution. And, unlike some other innovations we have seen in previous years (RIP, non-fungible token artworks and Metaverse), AI is here to stay. While its integration into everyday technology may eventually make it less talked about, its impact is already evident. AI is a tool that enhances productivity (up to 70% of us will be able to delegate over half of our tasks to AI within a decade), but it won't replace jobs entirely. Data security, GDPR, and AI governance are key concerns for stakeholders, with agile lawmaking and initiatives addressing these issues. Despite risks such as biased algorithms (yes, as the data produced by humanity is biased and reflects all of humanity’s worst – algorithms can go sexist, racist, xenophobic, or homophobic, just because the underlying data is such) and hallucinations in AI models like ChatGPT, steps are being taken to ensure transparency and inclusivity. However, biases in data can perpetuate inequalities and amplify propaganda, highlighting the need for responsible AI development. It's important to address these challenges to prevent tragic consequences and promote a fair and equitable technological revolution.
How do you think these new insights and learnings align with Le Pont’s goals?
Within Publicis Le Pont, we’re working tirelessly on creating a framework leveraging machine learning, LLM’s, and Generative AI to improve and give us a boost of productivity. From strategy to analytics and production, we leverage NLP and AI tools for insights, data visualization, and localized content creation. This technological surge in AI enables us to push boundaries, freeing humans from repetitive tasks and unlocking innovation. Embracing generative AI tools and understanding the underlying technology is crucial for a successful transition - so that no one is surprised when the AI assistant tells you that Nicholas Copernicus wrote Beethoven’s 5’th Symphony laying groundwork for black metal music. It's important to prepare for potential absurdities and to prioritize data security to ensure safe and effective usage of these technologies as they are here to stay.
Conclusion?
It’s not over yet, everyone can still be behind, there is a learning curve to follow when working and using AI and generative AI technologies for the first time. However, it will be unavoidable in the perspective of the upcoming years to familiarize yourself with, and understand language models and synthetic media. It is on companies to provide materials and knowledge that will help and assist in the transition, but it is the responsibility of every single user who now has access to these machines to be mindful. Mindful of the limitations, such as hallucinations; mindful of the security and privacy; mindful of environmental impact and mindful of societal implications of including these products into our everyday practices. For those at the forefront, it’s key not to gatekeep this technology and share the knowledge, for we are at the crossroads. For those not engaged yet, find inspiration in it, explore, and seek new solutions – learn how it can help and enhance you, boost your productivity and creativity. These hours will not go in vain in the future.
You cannot afford to be behind any longer and not understand the technology.