Macron wants to avoid seeing France and Europe fall behind Chinese and US giants such as Alphabet’s Google, Microsoft and Alibaba in this area.

“France missed the boat of all the latest technological revolutions: robotics, the internet. We have no giants in these fields”, a presidential adviser said. “We will do what it takes to move to pole position.”

Macron will speak at the elite College de France research centre on Thursday and is expected to invest funds “commensurate with what is at stake”.

Artificial intelligence (AI) is the field of computer science that focuses on the creation of machines able to perceive their environment and make logical decisions.

France will seek to use its traditional strength in mathematics. It is the world’s second recipient of Fields Medals, the equivalent of the Nobel Prize in mathematics, but has seen many of its top mathematicians recruited by American-based digital giants, sometimes known in France by the acronym GAFA.

Macron’s plan will follow most of the recommendations of a report led by Cedric Villani, 44, who won the Fields Medal in 2010 and is a member of the president’s majority party in the National Assembly, advisers said.