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The United Kingdom (UK) and the US have reportedly refused to sign a joint declaration on artificial intelligence at the global AI Summit in Paris, despite it being signed by dozens of world leaders.
The statement is said to have been endorsed by 61 nations, including China and Canada, and commits to ensuring AI is “transparent,” “safe,” and “secure and trustworthy.” The declaration also calls for greater collaboration when it comes to AI governance, fostering a “global dialogue.”
According to the BBC, the Prime Minister’s official spokesperson said the UK “hadn’t been able to agree all parts of the leaders’ declaration” and would “only ever sign up to initiatives that are in UK national interests.”
In his speech during the closing ceremony, US Vice President JD Vance added: “We feel very strongly that AI must remain free from ideological bias and that American AI will not be co-opted into a tool for authoritarian censorship.
“The United States of America is the leader in AI, and our administration plans to keep it that way.”
He stressed that this would mean having regulations that support AI development rather than stifling it. Vance went on to say that leaders in Europe, in particular, should “look to this new frontier with optimism, rather than trepidation.”
Paris AI Summit faces criticism by UK, US, and others
Absolutely brutal reviews of the Paris AI Summit. (4 examples below, click to see the full images)
U.S. and UK are reportedly not planning to sign the proposed statement and @tegmark is urging countries not to sign.
Almost nobody seems to be happy. pic.twitter.com/kLiVHfQOzd
— Gary Marcus (@GaryMarcus) February 10, 2025
Vocal critic and cognitive scientist Gary Marcus wrote on X: “Absolutely brutal reviews of the Paris AI Summit.
“U.S. and UK are reportedly not planning to sign the proposed statement and @tegmark is urging countries not to sign. Almost nobody seems to be happy.”
Anthropic CEO Dario Amodei strongly criticises the Paris AI Action Summit, calling it a “missed opportunity” and saying that “greater focus and urgency is needed … given the pace at which the technology is progressing” pic.twitter.com/2La32n7eqc
— Shakeel (@ShakeelHashim) February 11, 2025
As reported earlier today, Max Tegmark, the scientist who spearheaded the 2023 open letter calling for a pause on developing powerful AI systems, has criticised the agreement. Anthropic CEO Dario Amodei called it a “missed opportunity,” adding that “greater focus and urgency is needed … given the pace at which the technology is progressing.”
En Europe on croit en l’IA !
Bâtir notre souveraineté dans ce domaine d’avenir, nous en sommes capables. Réunis à Paris, nous y travaillons. pic.twitter.com/aAzwHQuc3F
— Emmanuel Macron (@EmmanuelMacron) February 10, 2025
His comments stand in sharp contrast to those of French President Emmanuel Macron, who defended the need for stricter regulation. Speaking at the summit, Macron stated: “We need these rules for AI to move forward.”
A UK Government spokesperson said:
“We agreed with much of the Leaders’ Declaration and continue to work closely with our international partners. This is reflected in our signing of agreements on sustainability and cybersecurity today at the Paris AI Action Summit.
“However, we felt the declaration didn’t provide enough practical clarity on global governance, nor sufficiently address harder questions around national security and the challenge AI poses to it.
“Security remains a vital part of AI’s future and we look forward to continued discussions in this area.”
Featured image: Canva
