US & Britain Refuse to Sign International AI Declaration

In a surprise development, the British and and US governments have refused to sign the international agreement on Artificial Intelligence (AI) at the global summit in Paris on 10th and 11th of February. 

The statement, which has been signed by dozens of countries including France, China and India, pledges an "open", "inclusive" and "ethical" approach to the technology's development.

In a brief statement, the British government said it had not been able to add its name to it because of concerns about national security and "global governance."

A spokesperson for Prime Minister Keir Starmer said: “We felt that the declaration didn’t provide enough practical clarity on global governance and didn’t sufficiently address harder questions around national security and the challenge that AI poses to it... Security remains a vital part of AI’s future, and we look forward to continuing discussions in this area.”

Earlier, US Vice President JD Vance told delegates in Paris that too much regulation of Artificial Intelligence could "kill a transformative industry just as it's taking off".

Vance told world leaders that AI was "an opportunity that the Trump administration will not squander" and said "pro-growth AI policies" should be prioritised over safety. “The Trump administration will ensure that the most powerful AI systems are built in the US, with American-designed and manufactured chips,” Vance said.

His comments appear to contradict French President Emmanuel Macron, who defended the need for further regulation. "We need these rules for AI to move forward," Macron said at the summit.

Britain has previously been a champion of the idea of AI safety, with then prime minister Rishi Sunak who held the first AI Safety Summit holding in November 2023.

BBC   |   AlJazeera   |   National   |  FT   |    Guardian   |  Independent   |   Euractiv

Image: Ideogram 

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