Paris, France- Political and tech industry leaders were set to descend on Paris Monday for a two-day summit on artificial intelligence, hoping to find common ground on a technology with the potential to upset global business and society.
Co-hosted by French President Emmanuel Macron and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, the gathering’s stated aims include “mapping” AI governance around the world, promoting the idea of more ethical, accessible and frugal AI and pushing for European sovereignty over the technology.
Political leaders, including US Vice President JD Vance and Chinese Vice Premier Zhang Guoqing, are set to rub shoulders with the likes of OpenAI boss Sam Altman and Google chief Sundar Pichai.
Macron on Sunday trumpeted the benefits of artificial intelligence and French efforts in the field.
In a TV interview, he trailed US$113 billion of investment in artificial intelligence in the coming years” in France.
The cash would come from the United Arab Emirates, “major American and Canadian investment funds” and French companies, Macron said.
Chinese startup DeepSeek stunned Silicon Valley heavyweights with its low-cost, high-performance AI models.
European Commission chief Ursula von der Leyen is expected to announce around 10 public supercomputers designed for use by researchers and startups while attending the summit.
China-US trade standoff hits Apple, Google
The US-China trade war is moving into a new domain with China’s antitrust watchdog said to be preparing a probe into Apple’s fees and app store policies, Bloomberg reported, ncluding its 30 percent commission rate, payment restrictions and approval policies.
Apple is often seen as frustrating with its lack of transparency around approvals for app store updates, frustration at fees and more.
China is also opening an investigation into monopolistic practices by Google, which continues to offer advertising services in China, and the position and dominance of Android in relation to Chinese handset brands like Oppo. Nvidia is already under investigation and potentially Intel may be probed, according to media reports.
