The AI Action summit which concluded in Paris on Tuesday has offered an insight into the international power struggles that are defining the future development of a technology that many believe is about to reshape the world.
The stakes are high. For Emmanuel Macron, who hosted leaders including US vice-president JD Vance and Indian prime minister Narendra Modi, it was an opportunity for a reset in Europe, which is lagging behind the US and China.
EU Commission president Ursula von der Leyen announced ¤50 billion in public and private funding, much of it going towards the development of “AI gigafactories”, where start-ups would be able to access high-powered computers to test and train new technology. That comes on top of ¤150 billion in AI investment announced by a consortium of European companies and investors.
If that sounds impressive, it pales in comparison with the half a trillion dollars in new infrastructure investment announced by the Trump administration last month. And it remains to be seen whether the breakthrough recently announced by Chinese company DeepSeek will, as some predict, disrupt underlying assumptions about the scale of investment required.
We Are Fugazi from Washington, DC review: Fan-sourced film captures legendary US punks in all their glory
Signifying Nothing - Frank McNally on a new linguistic plague
Roscrea overcome Gonzaga in classic to make Leinster Schools Senior Cup semi-finals
‘The constant curse of Dublin’: Marlborough Street is prime example of urban neglect
It is a truism in tech that the US innovates, China imitates and Europe regulates but those stereotypes were on show this week in Paris. Last March the EU passed the AI Act, which mandates greater oversight of the use of AI in settings such as healthcare, banking, education and policing.
In his summit address, Vance pointedly attacked European regulations of this sort, telling attendees they stifled innovation and created barriers for American businesses. The European AI industry agrees, arguing that the EU stands to lose out, just as it did in the technological revolution of the early 2000s which gave rise to American tech giants such as Google and Amazon.
But Vance also made clear the Trump administration will ensure that the most powerful AI systems are built in the US, with American-designed and manufactured chips. And the administration’s distaste for multilateralism was underlined by its refusal to sign a declaration calling for measures “ensuring AI is open, inclusive, transparent, ethical, safe, secure and trustworthy, taking into account international frameworks for all”. Sceptics might point to the fact that the declaration was signed by China, whose government is not noted for its adherence to such principles.
The UK also declined to sign the declaration, citing concerns over governance and national security while denying any attempt to curry favour with the US. Nonetheless, it is clear that the AI race has entered a phase where national interests and the struggle for competitive advantage trump concerns over safety and individual rights.
