- April 18, 2022
- AI in Business
For three days, all that artificial intelligence counts from small and large companies found themselves in Cannes for the first world exhibition of artificial intelligence (WAICF). The opportunity for Côte d’Azur start-ups to create links. Daphnée Marnat is the co-founder of Unbias, a start-up based in Sophia-Antipolis (Alpes-Maritimes). Created in 2021, it now employs 10 people and uses artificial intelligence (AI) to fight discrimination and ordinary sexism right down to the algorithms. The show allowed us to be visible and talk to the right people. We were able to make contact with three large international companies and initiate partnerships with two companies.
Daphnée Marnat, co-founder of Unbias
Creating bridges between local start-ups and large international companies was the objective of this first World AI Expo (WAICF)which took place from April 14 to 16 at the Palais des Festivals in Cannes. “It gave us visibility“confirms Daphnée Marnat. Among the 170 exhibitors from fifteen countries, 24 Maralpine start-ups were displayed on the stand “Cote d’Azur France Terre d’IA” -“particularly in the field of health“, specifies Marco Landi, of the EuropIA Institute, at the origin of the WAICF.
In Cannes, 24 Mar alpine start-ups were present, including the Niçoise Bodyo.
This is the case of Bodyo, installed on the Promenade des Anglais, in Nice. This company presented a “health kiosk” which makes it possible to calculate 26 vital measurements in minutes.
“We are here to help doctors, not replace them.“, reassures Patrice Coutard, the founder of Bodyo. “It’s about doing all the tedious work so doctors focus their consultation time exclusively on the patient.“
One of the start-ups made contact with 30 people every day despite being only a few months old. It’s huge!
Isabelle Galy, ClusterIA association
“For this first show, there were quite a few foreigners: Americans, Chinese, Germans, Italians…“, continues Isabelle Galy. In total: 7,000 participants on site (and 3,000 remotely)of which 50% are French-speaking.
The last day of this fair was accessible to everyone. “AI is relatively unknown to the general public, so it was necessary to raise awareness and demystify the subject“, explains Régine Resbeut-Montanella, major projects adviser at the town hall of Cannes.
The AI show also wanted to open up to the general public to “demystify the subject. Corp Agency Lucas, a student at the IUT in Nice, was one of them. The 20-year-old entrepreneur is working with another student on an online art project. We don’t have a lot of knowledge in the AI world, so it was important for us to go there and see the local players present.
Lucas, a 20-year-old student
In particular, he was able to discuss with the AI House based in Sophia-Antipolis. If it is too early to make a quantified assessment of this first show, the organizers say they are satisfied. “We felt that the event had its raison d’être, that this meeting was useful“, assures Olivier Cadi, of Corp Agency, one of the organizers of the WAICF. The objective is to position the Côte d’Azur as a land of AI so that, when a company wants to establish itself in France, it does not only think of Paris but also of the Côte d’Azur.
Marco Landi, EuropIA Institute, creator of the WAICF
“We are only at the beginning of the story“, concludes Olivier Cadi. “AI is spreading little by little in our everyday life and will continue to develop.“The next Artificial Intelligence World Fair has already been set. It will be from February 9 to 11, 2023, in Cannes. We would like to give thanks to the author of this write-up for this outstanding material. The first world AI show in Cannes has “given visibility” to start-ups from the Côte d’Azur.
