France's Macron invites Sam Altman to attend G7, OpenAI tells CNBC

Key points

• OpenAI chief Sam Altman will be attending the G7 conference in France later this month, CNBC has learned, as President Emmanuel Macron steps up efforts to court tech leaders across the globe in support of the country's AI ambitions.
• France is hosting 2026's G7 conference — an annual meeting of heads of state or government — from June 15-17, with AI expected to feature prominently on the agenda.
• Altman was invited by Macron to participate in the Leaders Summit, OpenAI told CNBC exclusively, in what would be the first time he's attended.
• "The expectation is that he will be engaging in the leaders-level conversation at the G7," Chris Lehane, chief global affairs officer at OpenAI, told CNBC.
• The G7 conference will feature the U.S., U.K., Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan and the EU.