Global disunity, energy concerns and the shadow of Musk: key takeaways from the Paris AI summit

A speech by the US vice-president, JD Vance, symbolised a fracturing consensus on how to approach AI. He attended the summit with other global leaders, including the Indian prime minister, Narendra Modi, the Canadian PM, Justin Trudeau, and the head of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen. In his speech in the Grand Palais, Vance made it clear the US was not going to be held back from developing the tech by global regulation or an excessive focus on safety. "We need international regulatory regimes that foster the creation of AI technology rather than strangle it, and we need our European friends, in particular, to look to this new frontier with optimism rather than trepidation," he said. Speaking in front of the country's vice-premier, Zhang Guoqing, Vance warned his peers against cooperating with "authoritarian" regimes – in a clear reference to Beijing.