Society

On March 13, 2024, the European Parliament passed the AI Act, the first legislation in the world that regulates the use of artificial intelligence according to the level of risk identified. This landmark law aims to ensure security and respect for fundamental rights while encouraging innovation. It is one of the outcomes of a long and complex process of controversy around AI in public space, amplified by the arrival of GPT Chat[1] and generative AI. Indeed, for the first time in its history, AI is being debated outside of the scientific arena, in the political and media arenas. The aim of this article is to analyse how AI has burst into the French public space, how it has gradually become an object of public attention, and what effects it has had on the scientific, media and political arenas. Using quantitative and qualitative methods, the study shows the structuring of discourses over time and the double constitution of AI Ethics as a public problem and as a category of action for public policy.