The AI summit is currently underway in Paris, where multiple countries are making important announcements. They are also attracting foreign investment for the artificial intelligence segment. The conference seeks to reach agreements that will allow setting global regulations for the development of AI. However, the US and the UK were not happy with the conditions proposed in the AI summit declaration, so they refused to sign it.
The declaration sought to ensure that AI “is open, inclusive, transparent, ethical, safe, secure and trustworthy, taking into account international frameworks for all.” It also mentioned that signatories should commit to “making AI sustainable for people and the planet.” However, the strong regulatory environment prevailing in the EU regarding data management and artificial intelligence is well known.
The US and UK do not sign the Paris summit ‘inclusive AI’ declaration
It is possible that the EU sought to “import” its vision of AI to many countries worldwide. That said, the United States has been especially critical of the EU’s “regulatory hunger.” In line with this, US representatives at the forum did not sign the AI declaration. Perhaps the biggest surprise was the UK following the US’s footsteps by being among the non-signatories.
60 country representatives signed the declaration at the AI summit in Paris. The list includes France, China, India, Japan, Australia, and Canada. In this regard, a UK Prime Minister spokesman said that they “only ever sign up to initiatives that are in UK national interests.” Still, the UK considers itself one of France’s closest partners in AI.
On the other hand, US Vice President JD Vance expressed his dissatisfaction with the European “excessive regulation” of the tech sector. “Excessive regulation of the AI sector could kill a transformative industry,” he said. “We need international regulatory regimes that foster the creation of AI technology rather than strangle it, and we need our European friends, in particular, to look to this new frontier with optimism rather than trepidation,” Vance added.
Vance also warned against cooperating with China. “Partnering with such regimes, it never pays off in the long term,” he stated, recalling the recent incident of infiltration of US telecommunications networks by China-linked groups.
The UK could have sought to avoid being seen as “too restrictive” by the US
Regarding the UK, the spokesman said they were “not aware of the US reasons or position.” This was in light of the possibility that the UK might have decided not to sign the declaration in order to try to curry favor with the US. However, a government source rejected such suspicion. The same source said the Paris AI summit declaration did not reflect the UK’s approach to security.
According to a Labor MP, the UK’s decision aims to prevent any conflict over AI development with the US. If the UK appeared among the signatories, the US could see them as restrictive as it sees the EU.
2025-02-12 15:10:33