US and UK Refuse to Sign International Agreement on Ethical AI

The United States and the United Kingdom have opted not to endorse a global agreement on artificial intelligence, with US Vice President JD Vance warning that “excessive regulation of the AI sector could stifle a transformative industry.”

Both nations declined to sign the final declaration of an AI summit hosted by France, which advocated for the ethical, inclusive, and secure development of the technology.

Vice President Vance strongly criticized European AI regulations, arguing that their scale could hinder innovation and condemning content moderation as “authoritarian censorship.”

Meanwhile, the UK government expressed reservations about certain language in the agreement, emphasizing that its approach to AI governance—outlined during its own AI Safety Summit in 2023—differed significantly, according to Reuters.

The AI Action Summit, held in Paris on February 10–11, brought together representatives from over 100 countries, including government officials, international organizations, academics, and researchers.

Key priorities identified at the summit included expanding AI accessibility, ensuring ethical and safe AI development, fostering innovation while preventing market monopolization, leveraging AI to benefit labor markets, promoting environmental sustainability, and strengthening global AI governance.

The final statement, signed by 60 countries, called for the establishment of a public-interest AI platform and incubator, along with a network of “observatories” to assess AI’s impact on jobs and workplaces.