After three years of existence, the Réunion Artificial Intelligence association, which brings together around a hundred members, has acquired recognition from the economic community and local and national institutions. By relaying national plans and systems aimed at popularizing AI, it is now broadening its field of intervention to new audiences with the ambition of fueling reflection on local and responsible uses of AI.
On all matters relating to AI,Artificial Intelligence Réunion has independent expertise, recognized and sought after. The association's participation in the Regional Data and Artificial Intelligence Committee, installed by the Réunion Region at the beginning of September 2025, is one of the latest proofs. Co-president of IA Réunion, Anaïs Sery was appointed Ambassador of the Dare to AI national plan for Reunion Island in July (see box). Support for the local deployment of the Dare to AI plan is part of the association’s 2026 roadmap. Linking local and national AI issues, this roadmap illuminates the path to follow to popularize the uses of AI. “After three years spent raising awareness among economic decision-makers, the association must now bring the debate to the heart of the city. The challenge is to make Reunion Island a territory where AI is understood, discussed and used in an ethical and sovereign manner. » As more and more people mechanically use generative AI on a daily basis, this vast ambition must contribute to moving from “acculturation to citizen appropriation” of artificial intelligence. This month's municipal elections bring this issue to the forefront.
AI Coffee : dialogue around artificial intelligence
It is with this in mind that Artificial Intelligence Réunion will organize Café AI meetings in Réunion. Café IA is a national initiative launched a year ago by the National Digital Council. Bringing together around twenty people at most, these meetings aim to question experts on all aspects of AI. “The objective of Café IA is neither to convince citizens of the benefits of AI, nor to condemn these tools outright”, but to “enable everyone to better understand the underlying issues in order to form their own informed opinion and, as needed, adjust its uses”. It is also to train digital advisors and mediators in order to amplify the dynamics of these local dialogues by multiplying them. Four public debate sessions in Café IA are planned this year (see box).
Digital autonomy
“The association’s mission is to promote European digital autonomy. ». Artificial Intelligence Réunion recalls that digital sovereignty also depends on the possibility of having local resources. Proximity storage and computing capacities and the use of open source AI models (free) help to “reduce technological and financial dependence on digital giants”. The promotion of local data promoting Reunion’s heritage constitutes another source of digital independence. “Current large AI models are trained on predominantly Anglo-Saxon data. The association will support initiatives aimed at creating local datasets (corpus in Reunion Creole, local legal specificities, tropical climate data) so that the AI truly understands our context. » Artificial Intelligence Réunion also calls for thinking about the creation of “digital commons” : “Shared databases (agriculture, environmental health) to enable local players to develop AI solutions adapted to the island, without depending on data purchased abroad. »
AI Coffee : the themes of 2026
• Mars : AI and information (the relationship between truth and falsehood in the age of AI).
•Mai : AI at work (which tools for which professions).
• September : AI and the environment (AI in the service of biodiversity and energy management). IA Réunion advocates for the use of small specialized language models (Small Language Model, SLM), less energy consuming than generative AI and capable of running on lightweight local infrastructures, to meet local needs.
• October : AI and local identities. What place for local data in global databases ?
Anaïs Sery, Ambassador of the Dare AI plan
Launched July 1, 2025, Dare to AI is a national plan to disseminate AI in all companies. Particularly in SMEs and mid-sized companies. The plan is structured around three axes. Raise awareness to promote AI adoption : it is with this objective that 300 AI Ambassadors have been designated. Train via an AI Academy : this platform accessible to all will bring together training and tutorials adapted to different audiences (apprentices, job seekers, salaries, leaders). Supporting companies to identify relevant AI solutions. In the meeting, several hundred decision-makers have already been able to follow the training and tutorials provided by Anaïs Sery as part of her former responsibilities at the management of the Digital Réunion association.
