US, EU clash over AI at Paris summit

The differences between the United States and European countries over Artificial Intelligence (AI) were stated clearly by their respective representatives at the international summit on AI held at Paris on Monday and Tuesday.

European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen stressed the fact that “AI (Artificial Intelligence) needs the confidence of the people and has to be safe. At the same time I know that we have to make it easier and we have to cut red tape and we will.”

United States Vice President J.D.Vance, making the first policy statement for the Trump Administration at an international forum, said speaking of the potential of AI said, “...at this moment we face the extraordinary prospect of a new industrial revolution, one on part with the invention of the steam engine” and warned “But it will never come to pass if overregulation deters innovators from taking the risks necessary to advance the ball.”

And strangely enough , Vance went on to assure that “AI systems developed in America are free from ideological bias” and that the US would “never restrict our citizens’ right to free speech.” It is strange indeed for an American vice president to declare on European soil that the American government will not restrict Americans’ right to free speech.

Interestingly as many as 60 countries have signed an international document that promised to “promote AI accessibility to reduce digital divides”, and also that “AI is open, inclusive, transparent, ethical, safe, secure, and trustworthy”, make AI “sustainable, for people and the planet” and also “protect human rights, gender equality, linguistic diversity, consumer rights, and intellectual property”.

China was one of the countries that had signed the document after its open access AI device, DeepSeek, had ruffled the American AI biggies who have been overconfident of their monopoly over the new technology.

French President Emmanuel Macron, who had co-chaired the AI summit along with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, had declared that France was for a third way, which was different from the overregulation of the EU and the absence of any regulation in the US. He said that France was going to make a 100-billion euro private investment in AI, and that France will leave enough space for risks to be taken to make the necessary breakthroughs. But he was not willing to go to the American extreme of leaving the development of AI entirely to unfettered market forces. He was aware that right now it was the US and China who are fighting out the battle of who will lead the AI technology. He does not want Europe or France to be left behind and left out. And the European way is to be inclusive and pay attention to human rights and economic and environmental sustainability.

He is aware of the fact that China and the US are not only battling for the next big breakthrough in AI, but they were also trying to take hold of the critical minerals that are needed to develop AI. Experts are agreed that China is moving ahead of the US in the matter of access to critical minerals.

The Paris AI summit is the third in a series of such meetings. The first two were held in Britain and in South Korea. France wanted to lead the European quest for AI. That is why, President Macron had declared that France was back in the AI race. He wants it to be a triangular contest between the US, China and France/Europe.

The European AI project stresses the theme of equitability, and acknowledges the fact that developing and poor countries must have access to the advantages created by AI. The new technology cannot be allowed to remain the monopoly of the rich and the powerful is the message of the Paris AI summit.