Tech Giants, World Leaders to Converge in Paris to Shape AI’s Future

Reuters 

Paris: Next week, the world will be watching Paris as the US administration under President Donald Trump seeks to find common ground with China and nearly 100 other nations on the safe development of artificial intelligence (AI).

This summit comes roughly a year after global powers grappled with the risks of AI in England’s Bletchley Park, and now, a broader group of countries is converging in the French capital to explore how to make the most of this transformative technology.

Hosted by France and India, the AI Action Summit will take place on February 10 and 11, focusing on areas where France has a competitive edge: open-source AI systems and the use of clean energy to power data centers.

In addition to addressing the potential disruption of labor markets, the summit will also highlight promoting sovereignty in a global AI ecosystem. 

Senior executives from top companies like Alphabet, Microsoft, and others are scheduled to attend, with government leaders meeting with select CEOs on Monday. One of the key talks will be delivered on Tuesday by Sam Altman, CEO of OpenAI, the creator of ChatGPT.

It remains uncertain whether the US will align with other nations on AI. Since taking office, President Trump has reversed former President Biden’s 2023 executive order on AI, withdrew from the Paris Climate Agreement, and faced calls from Congress to impose new export controls on AI chips, particularly in competition with China.

US Vice President JD Vance will lead the American delegation at the summit.

A key goal for the summit is a non-binding communiqué of principles for AI stewardship, which would be a significant step if the US, China, and other nations sign it. However, details about the communiqué and any disagreements among the parties involved remain confidential.

A French presidency official emphasized that the summit aims to amplify the voices of countries around the world, beyond just the US and China. “AI is here to stay, and it is a driver of competitiveness for France and Europe,” the official noted.

While previous global AI summits focused on safety, there will be no new regulatory proposals at this gathering.

Instead, the summit will discuss flexible AI policies to encourage innovation, especially in light of Europe’s slower growth in the field compared to American giants. France is considering how to implement the EU AI Act in a way that fosters innovation without stifling progress.

The summit will also address how AI’s benefits can reach developing nations, with cheaper models developed by companies like France’s Mistral and China’s DeepSeek.

The latter, based in Hangzhou, recently made waves by competing with US companies in human-like reasoning technology while offering more affordable pricing.

A likely outcome of the summit is an initial $500 million commitment, potentially rising to $2.5 billion over five years, to fund AI public-interest projects globally.

Additionally, the summit will tackle the inevitable energy demand that comes with power-hungry AI models. As a major producer of clean nuclear energy, France is poised to align its climate and AI goals, possibly announcing new initiatives aimed at harnessing its decarbonized energy to support data center operations.