The project is backed by President Emmanuel Macron and aims to promote cultural diversity while countering the dominance of the English language in AI technology.

The rushed launch was linked to the upcoming Artificial Intelligence Action Summit in Paris, scheduled for February 10-11, 2025, which Linagora did not anticipate would lead to such backlash.

Users encountered bizarre outputs from Lucie, including a claim that cows produce eggs, which led to widespread ridicule on social media.

Such incorrect responses, including false historical claims and nonsensical information, prompted criticism from various figures, including businessman Laurent Alexandre, who labeled it a 'national disgrace.'

The lack of safeguards against hate speech and inappropriate content was a significant oversight in Lucie's deployment, contributing to its suspension.

Linagora admitted that Lucie was released prematurely and should have been clarified as an academic research project rather than a fully functional product.

Lucie, a French conversational robot, was launched on January 23, 2025, but was taken offline just three days later due to a series of absurd responses.

This state-funded initiative is part of the France 2030 program, which aims to enhance the country's competitiveness in the AI sector.

Despite the initial failure, Linagora plans to relaunch Lucie after improvements, aiming to create a 'general interest language model' that can serve educational and research purposes.

Developed by Linagora in collaboration with CNRS, Lucie was intended to be a transparent and reliable alternative to commercial AIs like ChatGPT, focusing on scientific data rather than economic ambitions.

Ultimately, Lucie is designed to align with European values and support open-source AI development, a foundational step emphasized by French government officials.

As part of Macron's €54 billion investment initiative, Lucie was intended for use in French schools, raising concerns about its reliability and readiness for educational applications.