France had no prior knowledge of Microsoft's Mistral AI deal, official says

FILE PHOTO: A view shows a Microsoft logo at Microsoft offices in Issy-les-Moulineaux near Paris, France, February 9, 2024. REUTERS/Gonzalo Fuentes/File Photo

LONDON (Reuters) -France had no prior knowledge of Microsoft's partnership with tech startup Mistral AI, a finance ministry official told Reuters, denying suggestions that French lobbying for looser European AI rules had been on behalf of the U.S. tech giant.

Earlier this week, Microsoft said it had made a 15-million euro ($16 million) investment in Mistral, and would soon make the Paris-based company's AI models available via its Azure cloud computing platform.