US and UK decline to sign AI agreement

The United States and the United Kingdom have declined to endorse an international agreement on artificial intelligence, citing concerns that it could stifle innovation.

The agreement, which promotes the "inclusive and sustainable" development of AI, was signed by 60 nations, including France, China, India, Japan, Australia, and Canada.

The US Vice President JD Vance criticised European AI regulations as potentially stifling innovation. 

"Excessive regulation of the AI sector could kill a transformative industry just as it is taking off," he stated.

Vance also rejected content moderation as “authoritarian censorship." 

He emphasised that AI should remain free from ideological bias and not be co-opted into a tool for authoritarian censorship.

Vance also warned about European-style regulation, which he said would stifle development, allowing other nations such as China to get ahead.

The British government expressed concerns about specific language in the agreement, noting that it differed significantly from its own AI safety summit held in 2023.

A spokesperson for the U.K. government remarked that while London was willing to endorse commitments related to sustainability and cybersecurity at the summit, it believed the declaration lacked sufficient practical guidance on global governance and did not adequately tackle pressing issues concerning national security and the challenges posed by AI.

The UK government stated that it would only endorse initiatives serving national interests.

The agreement, which emerged from the AI Action Summit in Paris, emphasises ensuring AI is open, inclusive, transparent, ethical, safe, secure, and trustworthy, while also making AI sustainable for people and the planet.

French President Emmanuel Macron said Europe is taking the “third way” relating to AI development, that of tight rules and public funding, as the U.S. goes all-out on lax regulations within the free-market approach and China puts development firmly in the hands of the state.