World leaders and technology executives convened in Paris on Monday to discuss the safe adoption of artificial intelligence (AI), amid growing pushback against stringent regulations seen as hindering innovation.
Enthusiasm for controlling AI has waned since previous gatherings in the UK and South Korea, which highlighted the technology's risks following the viral success of ChatGPT in 2022.
Pressure is mounting on the European Union (EU) to adopt a more flexible approach to maintain the competitiveness of European tech companies, as US President Donald Trump begins to dismantle his predecessor's AI policies to boost US competitiveness.
"If we want growth, jobs, and progress, we must let innovators innovate, builders build, and developers develop," OpenAI CEO Sam Altman wrote in an opinion piece in Le Monde before the summit began.
Several EU leaders, including French President Emmanuel Macron, also hope for a more flexible implementation of the EU AI Act to support the development of local startups.
"There is a risk that some countries will choose to have no rules at all, and that is dangerous. But there is also the opposite risk, if Europe has too many rules," Macron told local French media.
"We should not be afraid of innovation."
The US stance on AI further underscores the differing regulatory approaches between the US, China, and the EU.
Last year, the EU approved the AI Act, the world's first comprehensive set of rules for regulating AI. However, pressure from tech companies and some member states is expected to result in a more lenient implementation.
Meanwhile, China challenged US dominance in the AI sector last month with DeepSeek, an AI system with human-like reasoning capabilities that is being distributed free of charge, intensifying global competition.
However, not everyone in Paris agrees with a more relaxed regulatory approach.
Brian Chen, policy director at Data & Society, said there are concerns that the US and other countries will push for a weakening of the EU AI Act.
"The difference is like night and day between the US and the EU right now," he said.
Yoshua Bengio, an AI pioneer, emphasized that advanced AI already demonstrates potential for manipulation and self-preservation, serving as a warning for future risks.
"I'm speaking my mind to anyone who will listen. And I won't stop," Bengio said during a side discussion at the summit.
Labor union leaders also voiced concerns about the impact of AI on the workforce.
According to Gilbert F. Houngbo, Director-General of the International Labour Organization (ILO), claims that AI will create new jobs are not a simple solution to job losses due to automation.
"There is a risk that these new jobs will have lower wages and less protection," he said.
Christy Hoffman, General Secretary of UNI Global Union, stated that there will be a commitment from companies to promote social dialogue and collective bargaining in the face of rapid AI adoption.
In addition, delegates at the summit will discuss AI's significant energy needs amid the climate crisis and its potential use for developing countries.
World leaders such as US Vice President JD Vance and Chinese Vice Premier Zhang Guoqing are expected to attend.
Macron is scheduled to meet with Zhang on Monday and Vance on Tuesday. Top technology CEOs such as Sundar Pichai (Alphabet/Google) and Sam Altman (OpenAI) will also deliver speeches at the gathering.
As part of the summit, France will announce private sector investments of €109 billion (approximately $118 billion), Macron said on Sunday.