• Current AI has secured over $400 million in pledges and aims to raise $2.5 billion over five years to support public interest AI initiatives.
  • The initiative is backed by governments from Europe and the Global South and private partners like Google, Salesforce, and major foundations.

A new artificial intelligence initiative, Current AI, was announced at the French AI Action Summit on Monday, marking a major push toward AI development in the public interest. The initiative has already secured over $400 million in pledges from backers and aims to raise $2.5 billion over the next five years.

Unlike major AI investments focused on computing power, Current AI’s efforts will target key societal challenges such as AI applications in healthcare and climate action. T

he initiative plans to expand access to high-quality public and private datasets for AI training, support open-source AI infrastructure, and develop systems to measure AI’s societal and environmental impact.

Founder Martin Tisné emphasized the growing data bottleneck in AI development and the need for innovative approaches to making data more accessible.

"I think what’s happening is you’ve got a data bottleneck coming in artificial intelligence, because we’re running out of road with data on the web," he stated.

The initiative has drawn support from governments including France, Germany, Chile, Kenya, Morocco, Nigeria, Finland, Slovenia, and Switzerland. Notably absent are the U.S. and Asian governments.

Google and Salesforce are among the core private-sector partners, alongside philanthropic organizations such as the Ford Foundation, MacArthur Foundation, and AI Collaborative.

Current AI aims to unify AI accountability efforts and encourage industry-wide adoption of AI auditing standards. It also seeks to fund public interest AI projects at scale, incubate AI research, and align funding efforts for maximum impact. Around half of the partnership’s funds will be distributed as grants, with the remainder allocated to aligned funding efforts centered on openness, data access, and accountability.

Tisné highlighted the importance of smaller AI models focused on high-value datasets, citing AI-driven advancements in Parkinson’s disease research as an example. With additional backers expected to join in the coming months, the initiative hopes to set a new standard for AI’s role in addressing global challenges.

Edited by Harshajit Sarmah