Nice, June 10, 2025 — At the 3rd United Nations Ocean Conference (UNOC-3), co-organized by France and Costa Rica, France reaffirmed its commitment to innovation to support the ecological transition of the blue economy.
A multi-stakeholder event led by the CGDD and the DGAMPA
The Ministry of Ecological Transition, through its General Commission for Sustainable Development (CGDD) and its Directorate General for Maritime Affairs, Fisheries and Aquaculture (DGAMPA), co-organized an official side event entitled “AI & BlueTech: The Next Wave of Ocean Protection,” bringing together researchers, businesses, local authorities, and international partners, with the support of committed partners from several continents: Mercator Ocean International, Société Générale, Waves of Change, World Ocean Council, Ocean Purpose Project, as well as the Nice Côte d’Azur Metropolitan Area, host of the Conference.
AI for Coastal Resilience
The first segment of the event, opened by the Commissioner General for Sustainable Development, Brice Huet, highlighted the strategic importance of innovation driven by bluetech and artificial intelligence in reconciling human activities with ocean preservation and strengthening coastal resilience. Presentations by SINTEF Ocean, Waves’n See (a Greentech Innovation-certified company), the World Ocean Council, and The Ocean Cleanup illustrated, through concrete and promising examples, that a rational and proportionate use of AI can become a true ally in the protection of marine environments.
Announcement of a new “AI & Ocean” vertical
Opening the second part of the event, Minister Agnès Pannier-Runacher announced the creation of a new “AI & Ocean” vertical within the Coalition for Sustainable AI, co-initiated by France, the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), and the International Telecommunication Union (ITU).
A unifying approach to serve the oceans
This new “vertical” is part of the Coalition’s second pillar, dedicated to AI for the environment (“AI for Green”). It aims to unite an international ecosystem of AI and blue economy stakeholders around marine and coastal issues—water quality monitoring, climate-ocean modeling, pollution detection, etc. This approach will promote existing use cases, encourage cooperation between regions, researchers, innovators, and funders, and structure a collective dynamic to protect the oceans. On this occasion, the Minister welcomed the first members of this vertical, including Mercator Ocean International, IFREMER, World Ocean Council, Waves of Change, Ocean Purpose Project, Plastic Odyssey, INRIA Chile, and the French Navy’s Hydrographic and Oceanographic Service (SHOM).
The side event also featured three high-impact BlueTech startups, giving them the opportunity to present their solutions to key stakeholders involved in ocean issues:
- Biocéanor uses AI to monitor water quality in aquaculture;
- Cosma specializes in mapping the seabed with autonomous underwater drones;
- Blue Coast Carbon restores coastal ecosystems to turn them into natural carbon sinks.
A concrete dialogue between territories and innovators
Following on from these two sessions, the Ministry spoke at the Ocean Impact Forum organized by Waves of Change and EDHEC to present the “AI and Ocean” vertical of the Sustainable AI Coalition and propose a call to join this Coalition.
A dynamic continued at the Ocean Impact Forum
Another highlight: a reverse pitch from the Dakar/Yoff community, outlining its needs for digital solutions for coastal resilience. A concrete demonstration of dialogue between regions and innovators.