It's no coincidence that just as issue 212 of the Revue is being put together, with its two themes chosen for the occasion, farmers are in the media spotlight! Farmers at the gates of France's major cities are calling for swift political decisions to save their businesses. Victims of contradictory injunctions, they are unable to build over the long term a new, resilient agriculture that meets the challenges of human health and respect for natural resources and arable land.

At the same time, debates are getting underway in the French National Assembly and Senate to examine the democratic process and the influence of digital tools, including those belonging to the so-called "Artificial Intelligence" category, as well as the means of regulating them. This set of processes has been set in motion with a long-term objective in mind, but as in the case of agriculture, there are urgent matters that states must take into account rapidly, combining regulatory and standardization actions conducted in parallel.

Let's take an example from France: an information report was submitted on March 30, 2023 by the Senate's European Affairs Committee. This report aims to foster the development of trusted artificial intelligence and proposes a new legal framework for AI, based on a risk-based approach. It seeks to better define high-risk AI applications for greater legal certainty. These discussions and legislative proposals aim to regulate generative AI and mitigate its potential risks, while promoting its beneficial development and use.

Another example concerns the work of the French National Assembly, where on February 14, 2024, two deputies presented a parliamentary report on the challenges of generative artificial intelligence in relation to legislation. The report, which is at the start of the legislative process and is the result of several months of hearings, proposes 33 measures to develop and regulate artificial intelligence. It addresses a number of legislative issues: transparency, data protection, national sovereignty and regulation, and proposes strengthening the CNIL's powers.

The dossier you're about to read takes a broader look at the current concerns of many players in the field of generative AI, and the importance of adequate regulation to guarantee the protection of citizens.

It also deals with the more traditional digital technologies that permeate our society. From open data to CivicTech platforms, digital tools are improving our democracy.

And let's not forget certain digital risks, such as Life2Vec profiling, which is about to suggest that engineers reintroduce the "OFF" button...

Happy reading and happy thinking! It's a complex subject that cannot leave indifferent engineers who question the application of science and humanists who question our future.