Nations and tech firms to jostle for AI leadership at Paris summit

World leaders, tech executives, academics and other experts will gather in Paris on Monday for two days of discussion on the progress and potential of artificial intelligence (AI), as it increasingly becomes a key geopolitical issue.

French President Emmanuel Macron will host around 80 countries and a wide range of industry figures at the Grand Palais for the AI Action Summit, with animated talks likely over the technology which has quickly become the key innovation in the sector, and potentially a potent political tool.

The sudden emergence of Chinese AI chatbot DeepSeek has already reconfigured the landscape of the sector – showing that the US position as the industry leader in AI might not be guaranteed, and that it may not take billions of dollars in order to reach that level in the first place.

DeepSeek’s low-cost models, which appear to rival OpenAI’s industry-leading ChatGPT, have other nations and smaller firms believing they too can vie for leadership of the AI sector.

As a result, many see this summit as the chance for different countries and even companies to stake their claim to be the world and industry leaders on the topic.

The UK Government has recently unveiled its AI Action Plan on how it wants to make the UK a go-to location for developing and powering AI, while an early act of the second Donald Trump presidency has been to announce a 500 billion dollar deal with OpenAI and others to build more infrastructure in the US.

In addition, the EU has started the rollout of its AI Act, the first major legislation on the issue globally, which begins to set out a framework for how the technology should be developed and released safely.

Meanwhile, in his role as host, President Macron is expected to use the summit to champion Europe, and especially France, as a potential world leader on the technology.

A number of big names are expected to be doing this jockeying in person – US vice president JD Vance is confirmed to be attending, as are OpenAI boss Sam Altman and Google chief executive Sundar Pichai, highlighting the power the US still has over the sector.

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi will also be there, as will senior government figures from China, French officials have said.

But the likelihood of Elon Musk’s attendance remains unknown – either as part of a US government delegation given his role as an adviser to President Trump, or in a business capacity as the head of his start-up xAI.

As for the UK, it is understood Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer is not attending, but Technology Secretary Peter Kyle will be in Paris, likely with the job of drumming up support for more investment in the UK’s AI sector and beyond.

The event is set to be littered with panel talks and discussions on topics such as the future of work in a world of AI, sustainability, safety and international collaboration, but what the summit will actually produce in terms of concrete agreements remains unclear.

At the first summit, hosted by the UK at Bletchley Park in late 2023, the first ever international agreement, albeit non-binding, on the need to develop AI models safely and responsibly – which even great rivals China and the US signed up to – was announced.

Thomas Husson, vice president and principal analyst at Forrester, said he did not expect a “major announcement” on a global approach to AI during the Paris summit, but said it was a key moment for talks between leaders and tech giants at a time of geopolitical and industrial instability.

“The AI Action Summit provides a key opportunity to debate the impact of AI on society, political institutions and the environment, and to continue an open dialogue on AI global governance in an increasingly fragmented world,” he said.

“Some claim AI is just mathematics and doesn’t require any regulation at all. Others consider that the European Commission is killing innovation by regulating AI too tightly.

“Let’s face it: AI is such a complex topic with so many political, societal, and environmental consequences, that it deserves a more nuanced debate.

“In my opinion, this is first and foremost a diplomatic move that aims at facilitating the convergence of AI governance, generating debate on the impact of AI on societies.

“It’s unlikely a major announcement will be made, but what matters here is the continuous dialogue on AI global regulation.

“Last but not least, President’s Macron decision to host the summit in Paris also aims at showcasing France’s capabilities and assets in the global AI race to make sure France remains one the leading global destinations for foreign investments in artificial intelligence.”