Paris held the next AI Action Summit on 10-11 February 2025. The event brought together world leaders, technology experts, and policymakers to discuss the future of artificial intelligence (AI). French President Emmanuel Macron and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi co-chaired the summit.
However, significant disagreements emerged, particularly regarding the final joint declaration on making AI “open, inclusive, transparent, ethical, safe, secure and trustworthy.”
Divisions on AI Governance
Over 60 countries, like France, China, and India, supported the declaration. However, two key players, the UK and the US, decided not to sign.
The UK’s Concerns
The British government was worried that the declaration did not provide enough clear, practical steps on global AI governance. A UK spokesperson said that the UK supported much of the discussion. However, the document did not address national security risks and the wider challenges of AI properly.
The US Perspective
US Vice President JD Vance warned that excessive regulations could slow AI progress. He also voiced concerns that some governments might use AI rules to unfairly restrict American tech companies, saying, “The US cannot and will not accept that.”
France’s AI Investment and Open-Source Push
Despite these differences, the summit highlighted major AI investments. President Macron announced a €109 billion investment in AI infrastructure. This shows France’s goal to be a global leader in AI.
He joked about France’s energy availability. Telling the audience: “I have a good friend in the other part of the ocean saying ‘drill, baby, drill’,” before adding, “Here there is no need to drill. It’s ‘plug, baby, plug’. Electricity is available, you can plug [it in], it’s ready.”
A key aspect of France’s strategy is to encourage transparency, collaboration, and inclusivity by promoting open-source AI. The summit also launched “Current AI,” a $400 million initiative. From nine countries—including France, Germany, and India—and private sector partners like Google and Salesforce. All in support of open-source AI tools, including machine learning frameworks and high-quality datasets.
President Macron highlighted the importance of open-source AI. So innovation is accessible to all and not confined to a select few.
AI’s Environmental Impact: A Growing Concern
Another major focus of the summit was AI’s environmental footprint. The International Energy Agency (IEA) announced the creation of a Global Observatory on Energy, AI, and Data Centres.
Launching on 10 April. This observatory will collect data on how much electricity AI workloads consume and examine the energy demands of AI infrastructure. Including specialised hardware and parallel processing systems.
The IEA will also publish a Special Report on Energy and AI, which will outline ways to manage the growing energy needs of AI-driven data centres. It will explore how AI can improve energy efficiency in production and distribution while reducing reliance on fossil fuels. The report will also examine how generative AI and deep learning can be used to optimise energy use.
In addition, France announced the Coalition for Environmentally Sustainable AI. A partnership with the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) and the International Telecommunication Union (ITU). This coalition, which includes over 100 partners (including 11 countries, 37 tech firms, and 5 international organisations). Setting standards for measuring AI’s carbon footprint and work to make AI training and deployment more sustainable.
UN Secretary-General António Guterres stressed the need for action. “We know that AI can be a force for climate action and energy efficiency. But we also know AI power-intensive systems are already placing an unsustainable strain on our planet. So it is crucial to design AI algorithms and infrastructures that consume less energy and integrate AI into smart grids to optimise power use.”
Expert Concerns: A Weak Outcome?
Despite bold statements, some experts expressed disappointment with the summit’s final declaration. Jessica Galissaire, an expert at the France-based Renaissance Numérique think tank observed that when a lot of countries work together on a document, they often settle for weak, vague statements. She also argued that terms like “sustainable” and “inclusive” lack meaning unless countries agree on what they actually involve.
Anthropic’s CEO and co-founder Dario Amodei said he was disappointed. Feeling the summit did not do enough to address the risks of artificial general intelligence (AGI). Calling it a “missed opportunity.”
Other critics highlighted that the declaration did not properly address AI-related security risks. Instead of real commitments, countries mostly agreed to keep discussing the issue in the future.
What’s Next?
The Paris AI Action Summit showed the promise of AI. It also highlighted the challenges of reaching global agreements on rules, security, and sustainability. As AI technology advances, different nations will continue to take different approaches, balancing innovation, competition, and ethical considerations.
The future of AI governance will depend on how well policymakers handle these challenges. They must ensure responsible AI development and reduce its environmental impact.
