India, France Lead AI Summit as US, UK Refuse to Sign Declaration

Fifty-eight countries, including India, China, Brazil, France, and Australia, have signed a joint statement on Inclusive and Sustainable Artificial Intelligence for People and the Planet at the AI Action Summit in Paris. More countries may join later.

The United States and the United Kingdom did not sign the statement, which emphasises accessible, trustworthy, and safe AI deployment.

It also highlights the need to foster innovation while preventing market concentration, supporting industrial recovery, and shaping the future of work.

Co-chaired by India and France, the summit marks the third such international statement, following previous ones in the U.K. and South Korea.

The declaration calls for AI to be human rights-based, ethical, safe, and secure, while also stressing the importance of assisting developing nations in AI capacity-building.

The U.S. did not provide an immediate reason for abstaining. However, Vice President J.D. Vance took a different approach, stating that the focus should be on AI opportunities rather than safety.

The U.K. government cited disagreements over parts of the declaration. A spokesperson reportedly stated that the country would only commit to initiatives aligning with its national interests.