US, UK decline to sign Paris AI summit declaration
UK decline to sign Paris AI summit declaration
Co-hosts France and India were able to secure Beijing’s signature on a joint artificial intelligence declaration, but not London or Washington’s. JD Vance said “excessive regulation” could stifle the growing industry. Dozens of countries signed a declaration in Paris on Tuesday calling for AI development to be “open, inclusive, transparent, ethical, safe, secure and trustworthy, taking into account international frameworks for all” and “making AI sustainable for people and the planet.”
But the US and UK were notable absentees from the list of signatories of the “Statement on Inclusive and Sustainable Artificial Intelligence,” even as China’s support was secured by co-hosts France and India.
Why did the US decline to sign?
Visiting US Vice President JD Vance laid out several US reservations in a speech at the summit at the Grand Palais.
“We believe that excessive regulation of the AI sector could kill a transformative industry,” he told the gathering of world and industry leaders.
“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.”
Vance alleged that the EU regulations such as the Digital Services Act and the GDPR rules on online privacy led to unacceptable compliance costs for smaller companies.
“Of course, we want to ensure the internet is a safe place, but it is one thing to prevent a predator from preying on a child on the internet, and it is something quite different to prevent a grown man or woman from accessing an opinion that the government thinks is misinformation,” he said.