PeopleofSuperintelligence

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Audrey Azoulay

Audrey Azoulay, a former French culture minister, led UNESCO for two terms, from 2017 to 2025. Before that she worked at the National Center of Cinematography and advised President François Hollande from 2014 to 2016, and in February 2016 she became Minister of Culture. In 2019 UNESCO published a preliminary study on the ethics of AI, and in 2021 it adopted the first global normative framework on AI ethics under her direction. In June 2026 the Académie des beaux-arts elected her to its free-members section. As of October 2026, she chairs the Fondation La France s’engage, a public-interest foundation dedicated to social innovation.

Photo of Audrey Azoulay

Timeline

  1. 1972–1994

    Early life and training

    She is born in Paris in 1972 into a Moroccan Jewish family. In 1994 she gains a master's in management science from Paris Dauphine University, and she also studies at Sciences Po and the École nationale d'administration.

  2. 2006

    A post at the CNC

    In 2006 she joins the National Center of Cinematography and the moving image (CNC), where she holds posts up to deputy director-general.

  3. 2014–2016

    Advisor to President Hollande

    From 2014 until 2016 she serves as an advisor on communications and cultural affairs to President François Hollande.

  4. February 2016

    Minister of Culture in France

    In February 2016 she becomes Minister of Culture and oversees the adoption of a law on freedom of creation, architecture, and heritage.

  5. 2017–2025

    Two terms at UNESCO

    In 2017 she is confirmed as Director-General of UNESCO for a four-year term. She is re-elected in November 2021, and Khaled El-Enany succeeds her in November 2025.

  6. 2019–2021

    Building an AI ethics framework

    In February 2019 UNESCO publishes a preliminary study on the ethics of artificial intelligence, the first step toward a global framework. In 2021 UNESCO adopts the first global normative framework on AI ethics under her direction.

  7. June 2026

    Elected to the Académie des beaux-arts

    In June 2026 the Académie des beaux-arts elects her to its free-members section.

  8. As of October 2026

    Chairing La France s'engage

    She chairs the Fondation La France s’engage, a public-interest foundation dedicated to social innovation.

Sources and credits

Photo: MCC / Didier Plowy, via Wikimedia Commons. License: CC BY-SA 3.0. Source: commons.wikimedia.org. Cropped to a square and resized. Ask us to remove or replace this photo.

  1. Audrey Azoulay - Wikipedia en.wikipedia.org. Checked 14 October 2026.
  2. Audrey Azoulay, France's 'passionate' arts defender to Unesco chief thelocal.com. Checked 14 October 2026.
  3. Former UNESCO Chief Audrey Azoulay Elected to France’s Académie des Beaux-Arts moroccoworldnews.com. Checked 14 October 2026.
  4. Troubled UNESCO confirms France's Azoulay as new chief | Fox News foxnews.com. Checked 14 October 2026.
  5. ArtDependence | Khaled El-Enany elected Director-General of UNESCO artdependence.com. Checked 14 October 2026.
  6. Audrey Azoulay élue à l’Académie Française des Beaux-Arts fr.hespress.com. Checked 14 October 2026.