Image credit: The Byteline

At the AI summit in Paris, French President Emmanuel Macron announced that Europe would reduce regulations to encourage AI development, particularly urging investment in the EU and France.

"We will simplify," Macron stated, emphasizing the necessity to "resynchronize with the rest of the world."

He likened this approach to the expedited rebuilding of Notre-Dame, saying, "The Notre-Dame approach will be adopted for data centres, for authorisation to go to the market, for AI and attractiveness."

The European Union's digital chief, Henna Virkkunen, echoed this sentiment, promising to make rules more business friendly.

"I agree with industries on the fact that now, we also have to look at our rules, that we have too much overlapping regulation," she said to Reuters, committing to reduce administrative burdens on industries.

This initiative follows U.S. President Donald Trump's moves to lessen AI regulations to enhance U.S. competitiveness, underscoring the divergent regulatory paths taken by the U.S., China, and the EU.

The summit's atmosphere shifted to celebration after Macron's speech, with a nightclub setting at the Grand Palais promoting innovation and freedom.

Alphabet CEO Sundar Pichai highlighted the need for more AI innovation hubs in Europe, saying, "Europe's productivity is dependent on using this emerging technology. How do we create more of these pockets in more places?"

READ MORE: A deeper seek on AI: World leaders converge on Paris

Macron also announced substantial investments, with 109 billion euros committed to AI in France, including initiatives like the new data center by French startup Mistral.

The launch of Current AI, involving countries like France and Germany along with tech giants such as Google and Salesforce, was marked by an initial $400 million investment, aiming for $2.5 billion over five years.

Current AI's founder, Martin Tisné, stressed the importance of a public-interest approach, stating, "We have to have learned the lessons."

However, not all were in favor of this deregulatory trend. Brian Chen, policy director at Data & Society, voiced concerns about the potential dilution of the EU's AI Act, warning, "What I worry about is that... there will be pressures from the U.S. and elsewhere to weaken the EU's AI Act and weaken those existing protections."

Labor leaders also raised issues regarding the impact on employment, particularly for those whose jobs might be automated.

While France pushed for a joint, non-binding agreement on an inclusive and sustainable AI revolution, U.S. support was uncertain, with Vice President JD Vance scheduled to address this in a speech.

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