PARIS — In a recent press conference, French President Emmanuel Macron characterized Elon Musk's absence from the AI Action Summit in Paris as 'normal.' This statement was made following Macron's meeting at a start-up incubator in the French capital on Tuesday.

Musk, who is the CEO of Tesla and SpaceX, has been appointed to lead the U.S. government's Department of Government Efficiency, a team tasked with streamlining the federal administration.

Macron responded to inquiries about Musk's non-attendance, stating, 'He now has federal responsibilities and he's working on his task of simplifying the American administration.'

Elon Musk had received an invitation to participate in the AI Action Summit; however, he announced on Monday that he could not attend in person due to 'critical work in Washington DC,' suggesting instead that he would be open to participating virtually.

Macron also addressed remarks made by French investor Xavier Niel, a close acquaintance, who described Musk as 'the world's greatest entrepreneur and ...

maybe sometimes a dick [_un connard_].' The French president chose to laugh off these comments, while Musk replied by humorously referring to Niel's past legal issues on social media platform X.

The AI Action Summit is designed to foster discussions on global artificial intelligence policies and developments.

Details regarding the outcomes of the summit and the reactions from other attendees regarding Musk's absence remain to be examined.