Any surprise that the US and UK refused to sign the Paris Summit for an EU & African Union Sustainable AI Accord?
Computerworld reported that “The escalating electricity demands of artificial intelligence systems are raising concerns about the technology’s sustainability — but that’s apparently of little concern to the governments of the US and the UK. “ The February 11, 2025 article entitled “Paris AI Action Summit: US and UK refuse to sign accord” (https://www.computerworld.com/article/3822255/paris-ai-action-summit-us-and-uk-refuse-to-sign-accord.html) included these comments about the US and UK:
They were among the invitees at the Paris AI Action Summit that refused to sign the “Statement on Inclusive and Sustainable Artificial Intelligence for People and the Planet,” the summit’s final declaration. The statement did win the approval of 58 countries, including China and India, and two supranational groups, the 27-member European Union (EU) and the 55-member African Union.
That’s more than signed the Bletchley Declaration by countries attending the AI Safety Summit organized by the UK in November 2023. The US and UK did sign that, as did the EU, China, and India, among others.
Signatories of the Paris summit statement agreed on six priorities:
1. Promoting AI accessibility to reduce digital divides
Ensuring AI is open, inclusive, transparent, ethical, safe, secure, and trustworthy, taking into account international frameworks for all
Making innovation in AI thrive by enabling conditions for its development and avoiding market concentration driving industrial recovery and development
Encouraging AI deployment that positively shapes the future of work and labor markets and delivers opportunity for sustainable growth
Making AI sustainable for people and the planet
Reinforcing international cooperation to promote coordination in international governance
All critical for the future of AI!