France's domestic intelligence agency, the DGSI (Direction Générale de la Sécurité Intérieure), is set to replace AI data tools supplied by US tech giant Palantir with those from the French firm ChapsVision, as part of a broader push for digital sovereignty. Prime Minister Sébastien Lecornu announced the move on Tuesday, stating bluntly: "We must use our own AI models; we cannot accept new strategic dependencies in the digital sphere. France must have its own tools."
The DGSI has relied on Palantir's data collection, processing and analysis software since the 2015 terrorist attacks in France, when the company's tools were considered the only viable option available at the time. Palantir's long-term contract was renewed in 2025, meaning the full transition to ChapsVision is expected to take several years. ChapsVision, a French startup founded in 2019 that recorded €200 million in revenue in 2025, has also reportedly been selected by Germany's BfV internal security service — a sign of growing European appetite for alternatives to American providers. Palantir, by contrast, generated $4.5 billion in revenue over the same period.
Lecornu framed the decision explicitly in geopolitical terms, warning that France could not afford to "depend on the goodwill of certain partners, who are capable of turning off the access tap" for AI services. The announcement comes days after Washington restricted foreign nationals' access to Anthropic's latest AI model, sharpening concerns across European governments about their exposure to US-controlled technology. Palantir — co-founded by Peter Thiel, a prominent ally of Donald Trump — has also drawn scrutiny for its work with US Immigration and Customs Enforcement and for software contracts linked to military operations, raising questions about data sovereignty and the risks of shared intelligence infrastructure.
France is not alone in reassessing its relationship with the company. Germany's military has announced it will discontinue Palantir's products, while the United Kingdom is reviewing a £330 million National Health Service data contract following parliamentary pressure. In London, Mayor Sadiq Khan blocked a proposed £50 million contract with the Metropolitan Police on value-for-money grounds, prompting Palantir to threaten legal proceedings.
The DGSI transition is part of a wider French state investment in domestic AI capacity. Lecornu announced a €655 million commitment to artificial intelligence infrastructure, computing capacity, research, and industry. The government has already begun rolling out an AI chatbot — built on technology from French startup Mistral AI — to one million of France's 2.6 million civil servants, with plans for a public health chatbot through the state insurance agency Ameli. ChapsVision said it aims to become the "technological foundation" for critical data processing across many public agencies, and is eyeing further contracts with other European governments currently served by Palantir.