Artificial intelligence (AI) has opened up new opportunities for business and academic exchanges between France and Hong Kong, the country’s top diplomat to the city has said.

French Consul General Christile Drulhe was confident the city would attract talent and businesses if it refocused on the economy after having concentrated on national security in recent years.

While the French community in Hong Kong was smaller than before the Covid-19 pandemic, the French still believed the city offered many opportunities as a major financial hub, she told the Post.

Financial Secretary Paul Chan Mo-po made AI a centrepiece of his budget address last month, outlining a slew of investments in the sector, including HK$1 billion (US$128.7 million) to establish the Hong Kong AI Research and Development Institute.

French President Emmanuel Macron also announced €109 billion (US$118 billion) worth of investment pledges involving the fast-changing technology last month during a meeting of world leaders and tech experts who gathered in Paris to discuss AI governance.

Speaking to the Post, Drulhe said the two-day summit should create conditions for investment opportunities, as well as business and academic exchanges, between Hong Kong and France.