The AI Action Summit held in Paris on Feb. 10 and Feb. 11 centered extra on the probabilities than the perils of AI. French President Emmanuel Macron kicked off the occasion with a series of deepfaked videos of himself, seemingly extra amused than involved.
Folks — authorities leaders, tech executives, lecturers, and researchers amongst them — from more than 100 countries flocked to the occasion to speak about AI innovation, governance, public curiosity, trustworthiness, and its impression on the way forward for work.
InformationWeek spoke to 3 consultants who attended the occasion to get a way of a few of the main themes that emerged from the third international AI summit.
International Competitors and Pressure
Whereas the AI Motion Summit introduced collectively folks from around the globe, a way of competitors remained robust. Macron urged Europe to take a more innovative stance in hopes of being of participant within the AI race being run by China and the US.
US Vice President JD Vance took to the stage on the summit to declare that the US would be the dominant player within the AI area.
Georges-Olivier Reymond, cofounder and CEO of quantum computing firm Pasqal, tells InformationWeek that {hardware} was a key dialogue level on the summit. The US, for instance, placed restrictions on AI chip exports.
“Management the {hardware}, you have got your sovereignty. And for me, that is likely one of the important takeaways of this occasion,” Reymond tells InformationWeek.
Whereas Vance gave voice to the “America First” strategy to AI, the US remains to be going through stiff competitors. Earlier this yr, DeepSeek burst onto the scene, seemingly giving China an edge within the international race for AI dominance. The corporate’s founder Liang Wenfeng did not attend the summit, however different stakeholders from China did. Chinese language Vice Premier Zhang Guoqing spoke a couple of willingness to work with other countries on AI, Reuters experiences.
Many international locations in attendance, together with France and China, signed an international agreement on “inclusive and sustainable” AI. However the US and UK are two notable holdouts, splintering hopes for a unified, international strategy to AI.
Innovation vs. Regulation
In 2023, the first global AI meeting was held within the UK. The second was held in Seoul, South Korea, final yr. This yr marks a shift away from the emphasis these two occasions placed on security.
“Going into the AI Summit in Paris, France wished to exhibit the concrete advantages of AI, versus solely its potential dangers,” Michael Bradshaw, international purposes, information, and AI apply chief at Kyndryl, an IT infrastructure providers firm, tells InformationWeek through e-mail.
Vance was vocal about prioritizing innovation over security. “The AI future is just not going to be received by hand-wringing about security,” he mentioned, the New York Instances reports. And Macron referred to as for Europe to maneuver sooner.
Whereas innovation could also be within the entrance seat, regulation nonetheless has a job to play if AI is to be secure and safe and truly ship on the worth it guarantees.
“My takeaways heart on the alternatives we’ve got to make sure that AI is deployed to learn society broadly,” Matthew Victor, co-founder of the Massachusetts Platform for Legislative Engagement (MAPLE), a platform that facilitates legislative testimony, tells InformationWeek through e-mail. “Whereas the event of social media created an array of great harms, we’ve got a possibility to make sure that AI applied sciences are deployed to drive financial alternative and progress, whereas additionally strengthening our civic capacities and the resilience of our democracy.”
Extra Change Forward
Given the velocity with which AI is transferring, policymakers are laborious pressed to maintain up.
“But, I imagine international policymakers, particularly by constructive trade engagement and occasions just like the AI Motion Summit that current a possibility for dialogue, are advancing with the most effective intentions on behalf of their public and financial pursuits,” says Bradshaw.
What the change forward appears to be like like could possibly be laborious to foretell, however there are areas to look at. For instance, Reymond was invited to the summit to discuss quantum computing and AI. “It is a clear sign that now AI and quantum are linked, and folks acknowledge that,” he says.
Reymond anticipates that quantum might take an amazing leap ahead within the subsequent few years. “It could possibly be a second two to 3 years away, and it’ll have the identical impression that ChatGPT [did],” he says. “And I believe that the [governments] needs to be prepared.”
When the following international AI summit arrives, to be hosted in India, world leaders and know-how stakeholders will probably be going through the identical massive questions on AI management, its worth, and its security however simply how a lot the know-how has modified by then and the way it will reshape the solutions to these questions stays to be seen.