UK and US decline to back AI pact as EU and France ramp up AI investment

Govt said agreement lacked practical clarity

The AI declaration, signed by 60 countries including France, China, and India, outlines a vision for an "open, inclusive, and ethical" AI ecosystem.

A global push for AI governance hit a snag at the now concluded AI Action summit in France as the US and UK declined to join other nations in signing an international declaration on artificial intelligence (AI).

The AI declaration, signed by 60 countries including France, China, and India, outlines a vision for an "open, inclusive, and ethical" AI ecosystem.

However, the UK government has decided against backing the agreement, stating that it lacks “practical clarity” on global governance and fails to address pressing national security concerns.

A government spokesperson said on Tuesday that the UK agrees with much of the declaration but could not endorse it in its current form.

“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,” the UK spokesperson said.

Similarly, the US refused to lend its backing to the agreement, with Vice President JD Vance arguing that excessive regulation could stifle AI innovation. In an explosive speech, Vance emphasized that the Trump administration prioritizes "pro-growth AI policies" over restrictive safety measures.

"At this moment, we face the extraordinary prospect of a new industrial revolution. But it will never come to pass if overregulation deters innovators from taking the risks necessary to advance the ball,” Vance added.

EU and France commit to massive AI investment

Meanwhile, the European Union and France are making massive financial commitments to AI development to help the block back into the AI arms race.

At the summit, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen announced an ambitious €200 billion plan to advance AI research and infrastructure across its member states. This initiative, Dubbed "InvestAI," aims to enhance Europe’s technological sovereignty while adhering to ethical and transparent development principles.

The Commission President described AI as a transformative force for good. “We want AI to be a force for growth,” she said, adding that the initiative will fund four new AI gigafactories equipped with high-end technology. These facilities will focus on training advanced AI models using over 100,000 next-generation chips each.

France, on the other hand, said it’s secured €109 billion in private AI investments and is dedicating a gigawatt of nuclear power to a major AI computing project led by FluidStack. The project will reportedly use Nvidia chips and aims to deploy 250 megawatts by 2026, with potential expansion to 10 gigawatts by 2030.

These EU-facing AI investments could finally set in motion the continent’s AI agenda after the US government announced a $500 billion AI infrastructure investment plan called Stargate in January.