In a new episode of the Washington AI Network Podcast, André Loesekrug-Pietri, chairman and scientific director of the Joint European Disruptive Initiative (JEDI), joined host Tammy Haddad to discuss AI’s transformative impact on science, deep tech, and Europe’s key role. Loesekrug-Pietri announced JEDI’s Paris AI Action Summit challenge project, shared his bold vision for a pan-European artificial intelligence research agenda, and warned of the danger of not engaging China on AI. The interview was recorded live in Washington as the JEDI delegation met with U.S. leaders to identify concrete joint projects on deep tech and emerging technologies and transatlantic partnerships in the context of new leadership on both sides of the Atlantic.
The episode also featured General Jean-Paul Paloméros, former NATO Supreme Allied Commander Transformation, former Chief of the French Air Force, and a JEDI board member who co-led the delegation and offered critical insights into the role of AI in military strategy, NATO’s enduring importance, and the lessons from the Ukraine war.
Loesekrug-Pietri previewed the upcoming AI Action Summit in Paris this February, where JEDI will launch a groundbreaking challenge to measure carbon storage in agriculture– a project with global implications.
“They want to launch challenges to show that AI can actually solve some of these big problems. In our case, the one that we are going to launch is linked with food and agriculture… Can we track how much carbon is stored in agriculture at any given time?…It’s not just an environmental issue…it’s also a geopolitical issue,” explained Loesekrug-Pietri. “AI is going to change science in general…AI has a potential to radically change the way we just think literally out of the box about totally new assumptions, which are not, we as humans are.”
On the topic of Europe’s opportunity to develop solutions to AI’s energy challenge, Loesekrug-Pietri had this to say, “Europe has been a continent that has been probably one of the first to identify planetary boundaries, the limitations that we have with our resources. AI has such a promise that it should not be hampered by the limitation of resources and it should not also become a technology that is reserved for those countries who are energy rich… So if you want something that really helps humanity as a whole… I think that is something where the Europeans should have the one moonshot”
During the interview, Loesekrug-Pietri emphasized the importance of long-term thinking in technology development. “We are looking at topics on the two to ten year horizon, three to ten year horizon. What do we need to prepare today in order not to be strategically surprised tomorrow? And we think for democracies, for western liberal democracy—or for a liberal democracy that’s not need to be Western—it’s super important that we shape the future and that we’re not shaped by others who are setting the agenda.”
General Jean-Paul Paloméros shared his views on the critical role of artificial intelligence in modern military strategy and decision-making. He stressed that while AI is a powerful tool, human oversight remains critical to ensure its ethical and effective use.
Paloméros discussed NATO’s enduring role in global stability stating “We need to struggle to strive to keep this alliance together. This is the best inner heritage that we have had for many centuries. If you reflect on the history of the world, if you have a single alliance which is able to assemble 32 countries, dedicated, motivated to keep peace and security, nothing can resist.”
Paloméros also stressed the critical role that AI and technology development play in national security. “If your adversary is simply certain that in every case you will win because you have the best tools, the best capacity, but as well as the best people to use them, the people who are motivated, then you win the battle,” explained Paloméros.
When asked about the role AI would have on military command, Paloméros cautioned against leaving human military commanders out of the AI development process. , “You develop AI to improve your real-time intelligence. That’s absolutely outstanding. First consequence, the military commanders, the future commanders, they must be involved in developing AI tools to make sure that they are reliable, transparent, and at a certain stage controllable, if I may say, because they have to make the decision.” Paloméros stressed how indispensable the human decision-making process is using AI, “The decision relies on people, on the commander…A human plus artificial intelligence will always be better than a human alone or just artificial intelligence.”Reflecting on his own time in combat, Paloméros expressed admiration for the ingenuity and skills the Ukrainian people have displayed, not only with their military strategy, but with their knowledge and ability to build drones. “The [Ukrainians] have been able to invent what we were dreaming of, more flexibility using thousands of drones…They build them themselves. You know that Ukraine can build more than 2 million drones a year, and they have got the knowledge.”