Paris AI Summit: Will Microsoft, Google, China & US Agree on the Future?
From 6 to 12 Feb 2025. Capital of France will host the Artificial Intelligence (AI) Action Summit where heads of state and government, CEOs of International organizations, leaders of small/large companies, representatives of non-governmental organizations, artists and member societies and people from over 100 countries across the world will get together. Significant figures like Sam Altman CEO of OpenAI, and Top Executives from Microsoft and Google Parent company Alphabet are attending the Paris Summit. The exciting part is that India will also co-chair this AI Action Summit. Participants are invited based on their commitment to the action promoted by the summit. Also, they desired to debate at the summit. Previously two summits were organized by the United Kingdom and the Republic of Korea.
This summit will be a huge deal for AI startups as France is using this summit for their promotion which are more likely to compete with U.S AI firms. Who can forget the hot news of recent times, Chinese AI startup DeepSeek, the most daring thing they did to challenge the U.S. dominance in AI at lower costs. Their Impact will also be a part of the discussion.
Key Focus of The Summit:
The participants will seek to achieve three main objectives:
- Open-source AI systems (independent, safe and reliable AI to every user out there)
- Clean energy for AI (AI that is environmentally friendly)
- Effective and Inclusive global governance of Artificial Intelligence. (countries controlling their own AI instead of relying on U.S. tech giants.
This summit is based on five strategic focuses:
- Future of Work
- Trust in AI
- Innovation and Culture
- Global Governance of AI
- Public Service
Why is Trump’s administration in the spotlight?
The above is all about the summit. But why is Trump’s administration in the limelight? Well, there are many questions but the hottest question is: Will the U.S. align with China and other countries on AI principles? Since entering the White House on Jan 20, 2025., Donald Trump has revoked Biden’s 2023 (a set of guidelines for AI safety and ethics). Trump also pulled the U.S. out of the Paris Climate Agreement, again. He has faced congressional calls to consider new export controls on AI chips to counter rival China.
From the U.S. side, Vice President JD Vance will represent the American delegation.
A non-binding AI principles document is being negotiated, which would be a huge diplomatic win if the U.S. and China both sign it.
No New AI Regulations
In previous summits, Safety commitment dominated the conversation but this year no new AI regulation is on the agenda to tackle upcoming challenges. France is evaluating how to implement the EU AI Act flexibly so it doesn’t discourage technology and innovation.
Also, AI models consume massive electric energy, which ultimately raises its concerns about being unsustainable in the future. Meanwhile, the Hangzhou-based company disrupted global markets last month by proving it could compete with U.S. giants in human-like reasoning technology – at a significantly lower cost.
France has seized on the development as evidence that the global race to more powerful AI remains wide open.
Expected Outcomes of the Summit
- $500M in AI funding, potentially increasing to $2.5B over five years, for global AI projects.
- Agreement (or disagreement) on AI principles between the U.S., China, and other nations.
- A push for open-source AI to benefit developing countries.
- Discussions on how to balance AI innovation with national policies.
Read More: The AI Revolution in Europe; AI Startups Secured $8 Billion in 2024
