Why Paris may be the most important AI city outside Silicon Valley

For decades, the geography of the tech industry has felt largely fixed, with Silicon Valley dominating the global startup economy. While cities like London, Beijing, and Tel Aviv have competed for secondary influence, one of the most important conversations in artificial intelligence is happening somewhere else entirely: Paris.

France has aggressively invested in artificial intelligence research and infrastructure, with startups like Mistral AI helping Europe become a legitimate force in the global AI race. At the same time, Europe’s startup ecosystem has matured significantly; its founders are increasingly willing to scale companies domestically instead of immediately looking to relocate to the U.S.

But Paris’ growing influence extends beyond startups. The city is becoming a meeting point for policymakers, enterprise leaders, investors, and researchers all trying to answer the same question: What should the next era of AI look like?

Need proof? Look no further than VivaTech, the annual European tech gathering that has evolved from a regional startup expo into one of the world’s most influential AI and innovation events.

VivaTech’s evolution mirrors the AI industry’s shift over the past few years. Just one year ago, much of the conversation centered on chatbots, copilots, and consumer-facing experimentation. Now the attention is moving toward infrastructure, cybersecurity, enterprise deployment, and the messy realities of integrating AI into large organizations. That focus will be on full display at VivaTech 2026, where founders, investors, policymakers, and enterprise leaders will converge around the future of AI in Europe and beyond.

TechCrunch’s partnership with VivaTech reflects the event’s growing influence within the global startup ecosystem. As part of the collaboration, TechCrunch and VivaTech will spotlight emerging founders through the VivaTech Innovation of the Year competition, with the winner earning a chance to pitch live in Paris and secure a place in Startup Battlefield 200 ahead of TechCrunch Disrupt 2026 in San Francisco.

The partnership also underscores something larger happening across the AI industry: Paris is no longer being viewed simply as a rising European tech hub. It is becoming one of the central gathering points for the global AI conversation.

The implications extend far beyond startups. Investors, enterprise leaders, policymakers, and researchers are all converging around the same question: Who gets to shape the next phase of artificial intelligence?

At VivaTech 2026, Paris will make the case that the answer may not belong exclusively to Silicon Valley anymore.

Book your pass now.