Comments compiled by Alexandre Counis
You have just launched work to develop an artificial intelligence tool that feeds on your data. What financial and human resources do you intend to devote to it?
We’ve been applying artificial intelligence to finance for more than a decade. It’s just one of the ways we’re working to give customers the data and insights they need to make informed decisions. As finance has grown more complex and technologically sophisticated, we’ve continued to invest in our engineering team. We now have more than 8,000 engineers at the company working on wide variety of initiatives.
Isn’t there a risk of finding yourself in competition with your clients (advisers or asset managers, for example)?
There will always be competitors, but we’ve always focused on anticipating customers’ needs, building products they’ll need before they know they need them, and providing the world’s best customer service. That hasn’t changed since day one.
More broadly, is the rapid development of artificial intelligence good news for the economy or, on the contrary, a risk for employment?
Disruptive technology always comes with opportunities and challenges. It’s up to all of us to maximize the opportunities to improve people’s lives and minimize risks – and the more government and business leaders work together, and share ideas, the better positioned we’ll be to do that.
Our own company’s approach to AI development, as part of the broader technology solutions we build, has always been rooted in helping make our employees and our customers more productive and efficient – smarter and faster. That has displaced some jobs but it has created many more. We have more employees than ever, and we’re continuing to grow our business around the world.
To what extent is the place of Paris attractive today seen from the United States?
Paris is rich in all the resources that make cities places where people want to live and businesses want to invest: vibrant arts and culture, beautiful parks and public spaces, strong mass transit, innovative businesses, and a diverse international population. All of those things have helped the city attract people and investment from all over the world – which in turn have helped to make it an even stronger, more exciting city.
What does Paris lack to strengthen its attractiveness vis-à-vis other European markets, including London?
Paris’s future as a financial center is brighter than ever. A little friendly competition among cities can be a good thing, and Paris has been seizing the opportunities that are arising from Brexit. Businesses, especially international businesses, want to invest in places that welcome talented people from around the world, prioritize education and the rule of law, and have stable political conditions. Investors reward cities and countries that are committed to those values.