VivaTech 2026: Bernard Arnault and Jeff Bezos see AI as a driver of responsible innovation
At the opening of VivaTech 2026, Bernard Arnault and Jeff Bezos championed an optimistic vision of innovation. Covering artificial intelligence, space exploration and supply chain traceability, the two leaders presented technology as a lever for execution in the service of environmental responsibility.
On Wednesday, June 17, 2026, Arnault, CEO of LVMH and a founding partner of VivaTech, took to the stage to kick off the tenth edition of Europe's leading technology innovation trade show. He was invited by Maurice Levy, co-founder and chairman of Viva Technology and chairman emeritus of Publicis Groupe.
The head of the world's largest luxury group believes that VivaTech allows LVMH to stay connected with entrepreneurial energy and technological innovations. “Technology is only meaningful when it serves what matters most: desirability and excellence. It's not so much the idea that counts, but the execution”.
As an example, he mentioned that every week he holds a design session with AI to create products that may or may not be physically produced. “When we started ten years ago, nobody was talking about AI. It wasn't even a word. Now, thanks to AI, we are able to 'kill' some of the bureaucracy,” added Bernard Arnault.
VivaTech 2026: artificial intelligence at the service of execution
Jeff Bezos, founder of Amazon and the space company Blue Origin, followed him on stage to explain that the goal of Prometheus, which he presented as his artificial intelligence project, is precisely to reduce the time between an idea and its concrete realisation.
“If you look at the history of humanity, all the wealth of civilisations is driven by invention,” explained the founder of one of the world's largest fortunes. “Today, we are limited not by our imagination, but by what we are actually able to build. If we can accelerate this transformation loop, all ideas will become possible. We will no longer be limited by our capabilities, but by our imagination”.
He added: “I know there are many concerns that artificial intelligence will eliminate jobs. I don't share that view. I actually think that artificial intelligence will create a labour shortage because it will allow people to identify more problems. We still have a huge number of things to invent.”
Preserving earth by designing industrial activity in space
Speaking of inventions, Jeff Bezos is banking on space exploration to preserve Earth as a place to live. As David Limp, chief executive officer of Blue Origin, the space company founded by Jeff Bezos, pointed out, the vision is to “support this planet and make space the new industrial order”.
This vision is inherited from Jeff Bezos, who has for several years advocated the idea that certain industrial activities could eventually be moved into space to preserve Earth as the primary place of life.
“We will go to Mars but the Moon is the ideal first step. It is so close to Earth. We can go there and back in three and a half days. We don't need to wait for the planets to be perfectly aligned,” exclaimed Jeff Bezos.
Sustainable development: Fairly Made receives Best Impact Award 2026 from Bernard Arnault
At a time when environmental responsibility is a key theme of the trade show, Bernard Arnault, accompanied by his son Antoine and Hélène Valade, sustainability development director at LVMH, presented the Best Impact Award to Fairly Made. Fairly Made is a platform for raw material traceability, supply chain transparency and environmental impact measurement.
“We have developed a platform to help brands capture data about their suppliers and to help them reduce their risks,” explained the two co-founders of Fairly Made, Claire Ruffin and Axelle de Buffévent, upon receiving the award. “This way, they can understand how to improve the impact of their products and eco-design their collections.” The result of their collaboration with LVMH can be seen in the group's DreamGallery.
Beyond these speeches, VivaTech 2026 hosts numerous start-ups developing solutions for fashion, luxury and traceability. FashionUnited will soon feature a report on them.
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