Paris AI Action Summit: Nationalism Beats Out Multilateralism

Key Takeaways

• The Paris AI Action Summit was marked by the emergence of economic nationalism in the AI sphere. From President Macron seizing the opportunity to position France as an AI leader to U.S. Vice President Vance’s sharp criticism of European regulation, the summit was characterized by more competition than coordination. China’s decision to sign the summit’s communique—and the U.S. and U.K.’s decisions not to sign—illustrate the growing fragmentation of efforts toward intergovernmental regulatory cooperation.
• AI safety – a defining theme of the original Bletchley Park gathering – was relegated to side events. As a partial substitute, the French-led agenda promoted public interest AI. Open-source AI, which democratizes access, is central to this undertaking – but also brings newsecurity risks.
• A series of announcements on AI infrastructure investments underscored the importance of hardware in the global AI race. How the Trump administration revises and uses the AI diffusion rule will be a critical factor.
• With no global regulatory framework on the horizon, AI developers and deployers increasingly find themselves in the position of self-regulator. This dynamic fosters innovation but also heightens the risks borne by industry.

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Please contact Paul Triolo, Partner, at Paul.Triolo@dgagroup.com and Jessica Kuntz, Associate Partner, at Jessica.Kuntz@dgagroup.com with any questions or to arrange a follow-up conversation.