France has put artificial intelligence and robotics in the spotlight at VivaTech 2026, the technology fair that opened on 17 June at the Paris Expo Porte de Versailles.
According to euronews, reported via Yahoo News New Zealand and MSN, humanoid robots and smart homes are taking centre stage at this year's edition, underscoring how quickly AI is moving from the lab into machines and living spaces people can actually see and touch.
The show is also making room for one of computing's most ambitious frontiers. In a People & Profit segment, France 24 framed VivaTech 2026 around the theme of "bringing quantum computing from innovation to commercialisation" — in other words, the push to turn an experimental technology into something businesses can buy and use.
France 24 explains that quantum computing can tackle problems that are out of reach for classical computers, with potential applications in industries including healthcare and finance. The open question the broadcaster raises is whether the emerging technology can genuinely change the way we solve problems.
Together, the two threads on display — visible consumer-facing AI in the form of humanoid robots and connected homes, and the more abstract promise of quantum machines — capture the event's pitch: showcasing technologies at very different stages of maturity, from products nearing everyday life to those still proving their commercial case.
Why it matters: VivaTech is one of Europe's largest tech gatherings, and what gets spotlighted there signals where companies and investors believe the next wave of AI and computing is heading.