Gen AI's full potential is yet to be deployed, says Former French Minister of Culture Fleur Pellerin

The rise of generative AI is stirring both excitement and apprehension within various industries as its capabilities continue to evolve. Fleur Pellerin, the former French Minister of Culture and founder of Corelia Capital, shared her insights on this transformative technology at the World Government Summit 2026. Pellerin emphasized that while generative AI has garnered significant attention and investor interest in recent years, it has yet to reach its full potential. "We are still at the moment where all the use cases of this GenAI are not fully deployed," she stated in an interview with Business Today, highlighting that the technology remains in its early stages. Addressing the current AI boom, Pellerin likened it to a bubble, pointing to inflated valuations and an influx of funding. She commented on the substantial investments led by Nvidia within the AI ecosystem, cautioning that, "Some people start to write articles saying that it’s just a bubble… a sort of circular economy that is not very sound, and the bubble is going to explode at some point." Despite the hype surrounding AI, Pellerin stressed the importance of exploring its potential use cases, particularly in sectors such as healthcare, medicine, drug discovery, and gene therapy. "We’re just at the beginning," she remarked, indicating that substantial advancements are still required. Furthermore, she identified voice AI as a promising area for growth, particularly in automating routine interactions. "Voice agents will be deployed massively… when you take an appointment at the hairdresser or at the gym or you book a restaurant," she explained, noting that these tasks can be easily automated. However, she cautioned that not every sector will face the same level of disruption from AI, acknowledging that in some fields, the human touch remains irreplaceable, emphasizing the importance of human contact in certain areas.