The artificial intelligence race is intensifying between the US and China, but don't count Europe.
This is when French President Emmanuel Macron holds an AI Summit in Paris this week, with government leaders, technical executives and academic experts gathering on Monday to discuss the fear and hope surrounding AI technology. It was created this week.
“There's a competition of scale,” Macron said on French 2 TV on Sunday night, under the rising steel and glass roof of Grand Palais, an exhibition hall that France and India collaborated to host the summit. I spoke.
“Are we completely behind the curve? No, Macron claimed that he encouraged Europe to invest heavily in its own AI capabilities.
“We respect us and we want to work with the United States. We want to work with China, but we don't want to rely on anyone,” he added.
Participants at the summit, which will be held through Tuesday, include Sam Altman, CEO of Openai. China's Deputy Prime Minister, Zhang Guo-kin. And Vice President JD Vance on his first trip abroad.
France will use the summit to promote AI investment in Europe, and to take part in technology that will rapidly change consumers, and position Europe as the US and the US as the top candidates in global competition, rather than the major regulators. We consider it a key moment. China is the biggest player so far.
Similar gatherings in other countries warned of the potentially “devastating” harms in technology, such as the 2023 British summit, which warned of the potentially “devastating” harms, AI's potential in terms of economic upheaval, disinformation and national security. It focused on risks such as:
These concerns remain. “For the most part of the last decade, technology has been a story that tears us apart,” says Fei-Fei Li, a professor of computer science at Stanford University and co-director of the university's human-centered AI Institute. It stated in the opening comments of the summit. “The AI is on another fork on this road.”
However, as AI became more widespread, the global mood also changed, and the country was surprised to build the next titan of technology.
Last month, President Trump announced the so-called Stargate initiative, which will ultimately invest $500 billion in AI and China's computing infrastructure over the next four years. A portion of the cost of American counterparts.
“If we want growth, employment and progress, we need to allow innovators to innovate, builders to be built and developers to develop,” Altman said in a essay in opinion by French newspaper Le Monde on Saturday. I am writing. “The risk of inaction is too big to ignore.”
(The New York Times sued Openai and its partner Microsoft for copyright infringement of news content related to AI systems. Both companies denied the allegations in the lawsuit.)
Macron's priorities are to ensure that Europe does not lag behind the US and China by over-adjusting its development.
He acknowledged the need for regulations to protect intellectual property, for example, but also discussed the benefits of AI, as well as fellow citizens who “have seen previously a few technical and scientific revolutions” and ” “A moment of opportunity.” Humanity. “
“If you regulate it before innovating, there's no innovation of its own,” he said.
While investors at the conference shared his views, they warned that Europe is less competitive than the US and China, as Europe has a fewer regulatory layers, higher taxes and financial incentives.
France argues that Macron is a good fit to lead the European AI push. This is because it can acquire around 70% of its electricity from nuclear energy and support electricity-hungry data centers without risking climate change targets.
He added that more than 100 billion EUR will be announced in the French AI-related investments.
Macron also cultivated the next AI leader in favor of what he called “European and French patriotism.” We repeatedly urge people to download chatbots developed by Mistral, a leading French AI startup, and praise their partnership with Stellantis. Equipped with Mistral technology on car manufacturer vehicles.
But the conference also exposed the persistent issues facing world leaders. How to stay above the growing AI arm race, managing the fears associated with it, from job losses to “deep” misinformation.
“We want to find a balance between promoting AI innovation in the EU and reducing the most serious risks,” he said, executive vice president of the European Commission, responsible for technical sovereignty, security and democracy. One Hennavilkunen said:
The world's largest tech companies, led by US giants such as Meta, Google and Openai, are embracing lighter regulations and the idea that AI will help people rather than harm humanity, and are quick to develop. I'm looking for something.
But the Paris Summit regulators, civil society activists and union leaders have warned of widespread concerns among the millions of people most affected by rapid transformations in their work and lifestyles.
“Have we lost the sense of shared fate of all humans?” said Archbishop Paul Richard Gallagher, Secretary of State for the Vatican. “We need to ensure that AI recognizes the potential for improving the situation for humanity.”
Airbus, the world's largest aircraft manufacturer, said it has integrated AI into many businesses, including development and safety. It is one of over 60 companies that have participated in the EUAI Champion initiative calling on Europe to become a global AI leader.
As one of the world's largest manufacturers of defense equipment, Airbus is increasingly integrating AI into defense applications, raising ethical issues.
At the summit, Airbus CEO Guillaume Fowley admitted that “things are moving very fast,” but global leaders confirmed that AI “need to be suitable for society.” He said it needs to be done.
This includes not letting the AI get the driver's seat, he added. “It's essential to keep humans in a loop. It's essential that people who are humans are accountable,” Fawley said.
