Claude Kirchner has been appointed by Emmanuel Macron as the president of the National Digital Ethics Advisory Committee (C.C.N.E.N.). This organization succeeds the CNPEN, which he had led since its creation in 2019 by Edouard Philippe, then Prime Minister. Like its predecessor, the C.C.N.E.N. is placed under the aegis of the National Consultative Ethics Committee for Life and Health Sciences (CCNE), thus affirming the continuity of a structured ethical reflection on digital issues.
In addition to its president appointed by decree of the President of the Republic, the C.C.N.E.N. will have 20 members who will be appointed soon. This independent advisory institution aims to contribute to the reflection on ethical issues raised by advances in science, technology, usage, and innovations in the digital field, particularly concerning AI.
The creation of the C.C.N.E.N. is also part of a broader desire to strengthen French and European digital sovereignty. In the face of dominance by American and Chinese companies, mastering digital technologies becomes a central issue. Sovereignty is not limited to the capacity to produce technologies; it also includes defining the norms and standards that will govern their use.
In this sense, Claude Kirchner, with his expertise and background, appears to be a strategic choice. His experience in cybersecurity and digital technology governance should enable the C.C.N.E.N. to play a key role in defining a European, if not global, ethical framework.
An Impressive Career
As an emeritus research director at Inria (French National Institute for Research in Digital Science and Technology), he has distinguished himself through his work on the logical and semantic foundations for designing and implementing robust, reliable, and secure digital systems, with applications in cybersecurity.
His career is marked by strategic roles: first director of the Inria Bordeaux - South-West research center (2008-2010), Deputy General Director for Research and Innovation Transfer at Inria (2010-2014), president of the operational ethics committee of Inria (COERLE, 2012-2018), and president of the Reflection Commission on Ethics of Research in Digital Science and Technologies of Allistene (CERNA, 2018-2020).
Claude Kirchner is currently a member of the ethics and scientific committee of Viginum, which aims to protect public debate against foreign digital interference. He also chairs the CEDIS of the University of Paris Cité.
Jean-François Delfraissy, President of the C.C.N.E, comments:
"The appointment of Claude Kirchner embodies France's ambition to make ethics a lever of influence and sovereignty in the digital realm. His scientific expertise and commitment to responsible technologies will be decisive assets. I look forward to the future collaboration we will have between the C.C.N.E. and the C.C.N.E.N."
For Claude Kirchner, digital ethics is not only a vector of trust and social cohesion but also of competitiveness.
He concludes:
"Our mission will be to shed light on the advances in science, technology, innovations, and digital usage so that they benefit everyone, respecting humanistic values."