PARIS: The apex of artificial intelligence innovation descends upon the City of Light today as RAISE Summit 2026 inaugurates its much-anticipated two-day conference at the iconic Carrousel du Louvre, convening over 9,000 AI leaders, Fortune 1000 executives, and visionary builders from across the globe.

The world's premier AI conference, described by former Google CEO Eric Schmidt as "the fastest-growing AI and tech conference in Europe—and maybe in history," launches today with an unprecedented focus on enterprise AI adoption, pivotal policy frameworks, and the operationalization of agentic AI systems. tech.eu

This year's edition introduces a novel invitation-only CxO Summit, architected exclusively for C-suite leaders from Fortune 1000 corporations. The closed-door program enables executive participants to benchmark AI strategy, navigate complex policy friction, and forge high-level partnerships that will shape the trajectory of enterprise AI deployment.

The summit arrives at a criticaljuncture in the AI industry's evolution. Recent data indicates that 78 percent of Global 2000 companies now have at least one AI workload in production in Q1 2026, representing a 1.9x increase from two years earlier. presenc.ai This seismic shift from experimental pilots to core operational infrastructure marks a defining moment for the technology sector.

The event's prominence is amplified by the participation of VIP partners including NYSE, All-In Podcast, Wired, The CUBE, Bloomberg, CNBC, La Tribune, Business France, La French Tech, Microsoft for Startups, Brunswick Group, and Edelman PR, among others. These institutions collectively carry the conversations from Paris to the rooms where pivotal decisions get made.

The summit also coincides with the EU AI Act's critical implementation phase, as most provisions become applicable on August 2, 2026. digital-strategy.ec.europa.eu This regulatory backdrop adds urgency to discussions around AI governance, compliance, and responsible deployment at global scale.

As Paris solidifies its position as Europe's capital of AI innovation, RAISE Summit 2026 represents more than a conference—it embodies a watershed moment where the theoretical promises of artificial intelligence metamorphose into tangible, operational reality across industries, geographies, and enterprise ecosystems.