World leaders will convene in Paris on April 11-12, 2023, for a summit focused on artificial intelligence (AI). The event, expected to involve high-level diplomatic discussions, comes amid a fierce competition among tech giants for dominance in this rapidly evolving field.
Heads of state, senior government officials, CEOs, and scientists from approximately 100 countries will participate in the two-day international summit. Notable attendees include US Vice President JD Vance, making his first foreign trip since assuming office, and Chinese Vice Premier Zhang Guoqing.
French President Emmanuel Macron emphasized the importance of the summit, stating that "we are living through a technological and scientific revolution like we have rarely seen before." He highlighted the need for France and Europe to seize the opportunity, as AI "will allow us to live better, to eat better, to work better, to take care of ourselves better, and it is up to us to put this artificial intelligence at the service of human beings."
The summit will offer European leaders the chance to meet Vance for the first time. The 40-year-old Vice President was only a senator from Ohio for a year and a half when Donald Trump chose him as his running mate for the White House.
Vance will be joined by his wife Usha and their three children - Ewan, Vivek, and Mirabel - on his trip to Europe. They were welcomed to French territory on Monday morning by Manuel Valls, Minister for "France Overseas", and the US Embassy Chargé d'Affaires, David McCawley.
On Tuesday, Vance will have a working lunch with Macron, with discussions on Ukraine and the Middle East on the agenda. The same day, the US Vice President will hold bilateral meetings with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen.
Vance, like President Donald Trump, has expressed skepticism about US spending on Ukraine and the sanctions imposed by the previous Democratic administration to isolate Russian President Vladimir Putin. Trump promised to end the fighting in Ukraine within six months of taking office - after campaigning on a promise of 24 hours.
Vance will attend the Munich Security Conference later this week, where he may meet with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky.
Leaders in Europe have been closely watching Trump's recent statements about his desire to impose tariffs on EU imports, take control of Greenland, and his suggestion that Palestinians leave Gaza after the end of the fighting in the Israel-Hamas conflict - an idea that was categorically rejected by Arab allies.
The Paris summit, which brings together key IT players such as Google, Microsoft, and OpenAI, aims to encourage progress in AI in sectors such as health, education, environment, and culture.
A global public-private partnership called "Current AI" is set to be launched to support major initiatives that serve the public interest.
The French summit will be "the first such wide-ranging international conversation about the future of AI", said Linda Griffin, Vice President for Public Policy at Mozilla. "I see it as a norm-setting moment."
Nick Reiners, senior geo-technology analyst at Eurasia Group, noted an opportunity to "shape the governance of AI" in a new direction by taking it out of the hands of a small number of companies, in the public interest.
It remains unclear, AP writes, whether the United States will support such initiatives.
French organizers also hope the summit will lead to the announcement of major investments in Europe.
France is set to announce private investments in the field totaling €109 billion over the coming years, Macron said.
Narendra Modi is co-organizing the summit - with Macron - in an effort to involve more global actors in AI development and prevent the sector from becoming a battleground between the US and China.
India's Foreign Minister Vikram Misri stressed the need for equitable access to AI to avoid "perpetuating the digital divide that already exists in the world."
Separately from the summit, Macron will join Modi on Wednesday in the southern port city of Marseille to inaugurate a new Indian consulate and visit the ITER nuclear research site.
France has become a key defense partner for India, with discussions underway for the purchase of 26 Rafale fighter jets and three Scorpene submarines. Officials in New Delhi have said the discussions are in the final stages and the deal could be signed within a few weeks.