AI News Monitor

The US admonishes the EU over excessive regulation of AI as the country refuses to sign Paris summit declaration.

The US has officially taken an opposing stance to the EU on what Vice President JD Vance described as an “excessive regulation” of AI.

On Tuesday, the country declined to sign the AI action statement at the Paris summit. The statement included a call for countries to commit to developing AI that is safe and secure.

There have been tensions for some time over the topic of AI safety. At the World Economic Forum in Davos in January, Pope Francis called for more focus on AI safety, having been subject to many deepfake images. Before Tuesday’s summit, French president, Emmanuel Macron, also reposted some of his own deepfake images.

In the US, however, there has been vocal opposition to the EU red tape. Tech leaders believe that too much emphasis on regulation of AI can stifle the growing sector.

Speaking at the summit in Paris, Vice President Vance warned Europe against an excessive focus on AI safety. He emphasized that the development of any cutting-edge technology requires some measure of risk-taking. The vice-president’s message was that the EU should let go of the red tape and climb aboard America’s AI train.

“We need international regulatory regimes that foster the creation of AI technology rather than strangle it,” he said. “And we need our European friends, in particular, to look to this new frontier with optimism rather than trepidation.”

But French president, Emmanuel Macron, countered Vance afterward and spoke in support of regulation of AI. He said, “we need these rules for AI to move forward.”

60 countries signed the statement, including non-European countries like Canada, Australia, Japan, China, and India. Notably, Britain joined the US in refusing to sign the global AI accord. The UK government dismissed suggestions that it is being led by Washington.