Written by Elizabeth Howcroft and Leo Marchandon
PARIS, May 28 (Reuters) – Mistral CEO Arthur Mensch on Thursday rejected Pope Leo’s criticism of military uses of AI, saying Europe needs its own tools to thwart rivals using the technology.
Pope Leo on Monday released a document calling for international regulations to curb the development of AI systems, warning that they could spread misinformation and fuel permanent conflict. He also criticized the use of AI in warfare.
Mensch, who is also co-founder of Mistral, said Europe cannot ignore the use of AI by adversaries.
“We all support peace, but if you look at our rivals and adversaries around the world, they are using artificial intelligence. […] “There are adversaries that pose a threat to us, and as long as they pose a threat, we need to have our own capabilities,” he told reporters.
new data center
Mistral, valued at 11.7 billion euros last year, is positioning itself as a European alternative to U.S. AI giants as part of a broader effort in Europe to reduce dependence on U.S. technology companies.
The company announced Thursday that it will build a data center in Les Ulis, France, with 10 megawatts of computing capacity, to open in the second half of 2026. The move, as part of a broader €4 billion investment strategy, will complement existing facilities in Sweden and France and will help the company achieve its plans for 200 megawatts of computing capacity by the end of 2027. This capacity will be used for its own needs and rented out to other AI research institutes.
The expansion is part of a broader European effort to accelerate data center infrastructure to compete with the United States, with support from French President Emmanuel Macron, who has highlighted the country’s energy exports as an enabler for such projects.
Around the world, including France, the construction of data centers is met with opposition from people who live near the sites.
AI backlash, graduates booing
Mistral’s announcement comes as skepticism toward technology companies grows, especially among younger generations. Recently, a video of students booing executives at a graduation ceremony in the United States was released, highlighting concerns about the social impact of AI.
“I think we can expect some level of struggle when it comes to artificial intelligence,” Mensch said. “It’s not the first time that people are a little nervous about something that’s about to happen. But we’ll be fine. We’ll find a way to use it efficiently.”
(Reporting by Elizabeth Howcroft in Paris and Leo Marchandon in Gdańsk; Editing by Mark Potter and Matt Scafham)
