The European Union’s recalibration of its approach to artificial intelligence (AI) at the recent Paris Artificial Intelligence Action Summit underscores a shift in the bloc’s priorities. Faced with mounting geopolitical and economic pressures, the EU appears to be stepping away from its stringent regulatory posture in a bid to remain competitive in the rapidly evolving AI landscape. But at what cost? The summit, despite its grandiose ambitions, once again highlighted the deep fissures within the global AI ecosystem, particularly between the US, UK, EU, China, and India.

Two years after OpenAI’s ChatGPT revolutionized public discourse around AI, the technology continues to be at the heart of both immense optimism and dire concerns. Yet, the EU’s longstanding regulatory-first stance may be giving way to a more industry-friendly approach-one that could signal both opportunity and risk.

The Paris summit, the third in a series of high-profile AI gatherings, followed similar meetings in the UK (2023) and South Korea (2024). While previous summits resulted in nonbinding pledges to address AI risks, this latest edition revealed an increasingly divided world. The EU’s push for a more ethical and democratic AI framework encountered resistance from major AI powerhouses. The closing declaration, which emphasized “open” and “ethical” AI development, was notably unsigned by the US and UK-both of whom argued that excessive regulation stifles innovation and undermines national security.

Instead of uniting the AI landscape under a cohesive global governance model, the summit once again exposed the fractures in international AI policy. The US and UK, home to the world’s largest AI firms, remain opposed to broad regulatory oversight, while China, India, and the EU struggle to chart their own paths........

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