US Declines to Sign AI Action Summit Statement, Despite Participating in Conference

The US did not sign the statement summarizing the resolutions from the AI Action Summit in Paris, but Vice President J.D. Vance did make an appearance at the conference, delivering a speech to the audience of dignitaries, tech leaders, and regulators.

Vance’s Message: Focus on AI Opportunity, Not Regulation

Vance painted a picture of the US’s approach to AI, emphasizing that the country is dominant and intends to stay that way. He also stated that regulation is not necessary and could even be detrimental to the development of AI technology. Instead, he advocated for a "pro-growth" approach, where the government ensures that US AI technology remains the gold standard worldwide and a partner of choice for others.

Four Key Areas of Focus

Vance outlined four areas where he said the US will focus its commitments:

1. Ensuring US AI Technology Remains the Gold Standard: The government will continue to ensure that US AI technology is the best in the world and a partner of choice for others in government and business.
2. Deregulation and Pro-Growth AI Policies: Vance emphasized the importance of deregulation and pro-growth AI policies, stating that excessive regulation could "kill" AI development.
3. Addressing Bias and Manipulation: Vance highlighted the need to prevent AI from being used for authoritarian censorship and manipulation, and assured that American AI will not be co-opted for such purposes.
4. Supporting Pro-Worker Growth Path for AI: The Trump administration will maintain a pro-worker growth path for AI, ensuring that it can be a potent tool for job creation in the US.

Slamming AI Safety

Vance also used his speech to slam the concept of AI safety, implying that a focus on it is at the expense of encouraging industrialization. He stated that the AI future will be won by building from reliable power plants to manufacturing facilities that can produce the chips of the future.

Confusion over AI Safety

However, Vance later returned to AI safety, confusingly implying that it has been pushed for opportunistic and political reasons. He suggested that governments, businesses, and nonprofits have advanced unpopular and ahistorical social agendas through AI. Vance then walked back some of this statement, emphasizing the need to focus on the opportunity to catch lightning in a bottle and use AI to improve the well-being of nations and their peoples.

Comparison with EU Officials

Vance’s focus on lighter regulation was not dissimilar from the message from European officials at the Summit. EU President Ursula von der Leyen stated that AI needs the confidence of the people and must be safe, and that a single set of safe rules across the European Union is necessary.

Implementation Challenges

The convenient thing about high-level speeches is that they do not have to face the complexities of implementing ideas in the real world. Vance did not spell out specifics on how AI tools from other countries would be handled by the US, nor did he address the impact of AI on labor, which has been cited by dozens of technology companies as the reason for down-sizing workforces.

What’s Next

The conference continues later today, and TechCrunch will provide full coverage of the Artificial Intelligence Action Summit in Paris.