The UK joined the US in refusing to sign an international declaration which promotes the inclusive and sustainable development of AI.
The statement, signed by 60 countries at the two-day AI Action Summit in Paris, promotes ethical, inclusive and sustainable development of AI.
France, China and India were among the countries to sign the agreement, which pledged an open approach to development of the frontier technology which is ‘transparent, safe, secure and trustworthy’.
The UK government said it did not sign as “it did not reflect the UK’s policy positions on opportunity and security”.
Despite the previous Conservative government hosting the first global AI Safety Summit in late 2023, Labour – which came to power last summer – has ditched the cautious approach and put AI at the centre of its ‘Plan for Growth’, including the creation of AI Growth Zones.
Addressing delegates in Paris, US Vice President JD Vance warned that overregulation of AI could “kill a transformative industry just as it’s taking off” and said AI is “an opportunity that the Trump administration will not squander”.
He added that “pro-growth AI policies” should be prioritised over safety.
No.10 denied it was following the US’s lead in refusing to sign the declaration.
“We felt the declaration didn’t provide enough practical clarity on global governance, nor sufficiently address harder questions around national security and the challenge AI poses to it,” a spokesperson said.
“This isn’t about the US. This is about our own national interest, ensuring the balance between opportunity and security.”