A new mandatory course on AI for the Cycle Ingénieur Polytechnicien Program students

Starting in September 2026, École Polytechnique will launch a new mandatory AI course for all second-year students in its Cycle Ingénieur Polytechnicien Program. This new course will enhance the School’s already extensive AI training offerings to address the profound transformations brought about by this technology and by machine learning in the fields of engineering and research.

“Beyond its most visible applications—of which conversational AI is the archetype—AI is profoundly transforming all scientific disciplines, right down to the very way we conduct research,” notes Aymeric Dieuleveut, a professor at École Polytechnique and co-director of this new course. 

This course, offered to all students in their second year of the Cycle Ingénieur Polytechnicien Program, will first enable them to discover and understand the methodological principles and techniques of machine learning, while also addressing the inherent limitations of these technologies.

Next, students will learn how AI is pushing the boundaries of knowledge in every scientific discipline. Drawing on the School’s ten departments, the course will cover topics as diverse as drug discovery and bioimaging in biology, reaction optimization in chemistry, quantum mechanics, macroeconomic forecasting, and adaptation to climate change, as well as emerging applications of AI in mathematics.

The course is offered prior to students selecting their third-year specialization. This will equip engineering students with all the necessary tools to integrate AI into the rest of their academic and professional careers, regardless of their field of specialization.

For students entering the School directly in their third year, bridging programs such as the “Hi!Paris Databootcamp” (a 35-hour intensive course) are offered to ensure that students are all on the same ground.

Factbox : École Polytechnique at the forefront of AI

École Polytechnique plays a leading role in fostering talent and innovation in the field of AI by continuing its initiatives through the HI! PARIS center, particularly in the areas of education and research.

Several École Polytechnique laboratories, notably the Center for Applied Mathematics (CMAP) and the École Polytechnique Computer Science Laboratory (LIX), are deeply involved in the development of the Hi! PARIS center, which was launched in September 2020 and won a €70 million grant under the AI Cluster plan launched by the government in June 2023.

Several of the School’s chairs and partnerships, funded by industry partners, are dedicated to the fields of AI and data science. 

École Polytechnique has signed two strategic partnerships, one with the telecommunications and digital services provider Orange and the other with the consulting firm Accenture, to develop ambitious collaborations in research, education, and innovation focused on artificial intelligence and cybersecurity.

The AI and Mobility Chair, launched in September 2024 and funded by the SNCF Group, engages Polytech students in addressing the challenges of sustainable mobility. Led by Sonia Vanier, a professor at École Polytechnique, the chair will focus on optimizing the management of transportation infrastructure, ensuring the reliability of rolling stock through predictive maintenance, planning road maintenance tasks, forecasting construction dates to minimize their impact on traffic, and predicting delays and their repercussions to improve passenger information.

An international chair for teaching and research on trustworthy and responsible artificial intelligence (AI) was established in March 2024. Led by Sonia Vanier and supported by Crédit Agricole SA, this chair aims to explore and define new methods for designing ethical, robust, and secure artificial intelligence systems.

During a visit on March 8, 2024, the French Minister of the Armed Forces Sébastien Lecornu announced at École Polytechnique that a new ministerial agency for defense artificial intelligence (AMIAD) would be established this summer, with its research division based on the School’s campus.

In terms of academic programs, students and engineering students at École Polytechnique have access to several specialized AI programs: a Bachelor’s degree with a double major in mathematics and computer science, IP Paris master’s degrees pursued as part of a dual-degree program by students in the École Polytechnique engineering track (Master’s in Data and AI and Master’s in Data Science), the MVA (Mathematics, Vision, and Learning) track Master’s program offered by IP Paris, Université Paris Saclay, ENS, and ENPC, and the X-HEC dual degrees: MSc&T Data Science for Business and MSc&T Data Science for Business – Master in Finance, while the X-HEC Entrepreneurship MSc offers an AI track. Starting with the 2024–2025 academic year, students in the Polytechnique engineering program will have access to approximately 100 hours of instruction on AI.

École Polytechnique’s Executive Education program offers continuing education courses on AI designed for senior executives, including a certificate program titled “Leading with Data and Artificial Intelligence,” an “AI for Business” program on integrating artificial intelligence into corporate strategy, and an “Advanced AI for Data Analysis” program designed to equip professionals with the technical and strategic skills needed to leverage data and AI.

When it comes to innovation, École Polytechnique graduates are heavily involved in entrepreneurship in the field of artificial intelligence. Founded in 2018, the X IA group brings together École Polytechnique alumni with the aim of promoting knowledge sharing around initiatives related to AI and data.