AI summit 2025 by world leaders in Paris

Speech by the Vice President of the United States at the AI Summit 2025 Paris February 2025

Paris, Tuesday 11th February 2025

Welcome His Excellency, Vice President of the United States of America, JD Vance. It is an honour. It is your first international trip outside of the United States since taking office, and we are delighted.

Thank you for the kind introduction. I want to start by thanking President Macron for hosting the event and, of course, the lovely dinner last night. During the dinner, President Macron looked at me and asked if I would like to speak, and I said, "Mr. President, I'm here for the good company and free wine, but I have to earn my keep today." I also want to thank Prime Minister Modi for being here, and all of you for participating.

I am not here this morning to talk about AI safety, which was the title of the conference a couple of years ago. I am here to talk about AI opportunity. When conferences like this convene to discuss cutting-edge technology, oftentimes, our response is too self-conscious and too risk averse. But never have I encountered a breakthrough in technology that so clearly calls us to do precisely the opposite.

AI will have countless revolutionary applications in economic innovation, job creation, national security, healthcare, free expression, and beyond. To restrict its development now will not only unfairly benefit incumbents in the space, but it would also mean paralysing one of the most promising technologies we have seen in generations.

With that in mind, I’d like to make four main points today:

1.         This administration will ensure that American AI technology continues to be the gold standard worldwide. We are the partner of choice for foreign countries and businesses as they expand their own use of AI.

2.         We believe that excessive regulation of the AI sector could kill a transformative industry just as it's taking off. We will make every effort to encourage pro-growth AI policies, and I am pleased to see a deregulatory flavour making its way into many conversations at this conference.

3.         AI must remain free from ideological bias. American AI will not be co-opted into a tool for authoritarian censorship.

4.         The Trump administration will maintain a pro-worker growth path for AI. AI can be a potent tool for job creation in the United States.

I appreciate Prime Minister Modi’s point: AI will facilitate and make people more productive. It is not going to replace human beings. It will never replace human beings. Too many leaders in the AI industry, when they discuss the fear of replacing workers, miss the point. AI will make us more productive, more prosperous, and more free.

The United States of America is the leader in AI, and our administration plans to keep it that way. The US possesses all components across the full AI stack, including advanced semiconductor design, frontier algorithms, and transformational applications.

Now, the computing power this stack requires is integral to advancing AI technology. To safeguard America’s advantage, the Trump administration will ensure that the most powerful AI systems are built in the US, using American-designed and manufactured chips.

That said, just because we are the leader does not mean we want to or need to go it alone. America wants to partner with all of you. We want to embark on the AI revolution together.

To create AI, we need international regulatory regimes that foster innovation rather than strangle it. We urge our European friends to look at this new frontier with optimism rather than trepidation.

The development of cutting-edge AI in the US is no accident. By preserving an open regulatory environment, we have encouraged American innovators to experiment and make unparalleled R&D investments. Of the $700 billion expected to be spent on AI by 2028, over half will likely be invested in the United States.

We will not stifle startups or graduate students working on groundbreaking applications. Instead, our laws will ensure a level playing field for big tech, small tech, and all AI developers. The President’s recent executive order on AI is developing an AI action plan that avoids excessive regulation while ensuring all Americans benefit from the technology’s transformative potential.

We invite your countries to work with us and follow our model if it aligns with your national interests.

However, we are troubled by reports that some foreign governments are tightening restrictions on US tech companies with international footprints. America cannot and will not accept that.

US innovators already contend with international regulatory challenges, such as the EU’s Digital Services Act, which forces tech companies to police so-called misinformation. While safety is important, excessive restrictions create barriers to access and innovation.

When it comes to AI and energy, we stand at the frontier of an industry hungry for reliable power and high-quality semiconductors. Yet, many countries are de-industrialising while simultaneously cutting off reliable power from their grids.

The future of AI will not be won by fear-mongering but by building the necessary infrastructure—from reliable power plants to advanced semiconductor manufacturing facilities.

AI is grounded in the real economy. It is not just about smart people writing code—it depends on workers, engineers, healthcare professionals, and manufacturers. AI will change how we produce energy, treat diseases, and operate factories.

A Call for Responsible AI Development

We face a new industrial revolution on par with the invention of the steam engine. But if over-regulation deters innovators, we will lose this opportunity. We also must not allow AI to be dominated by a few massive players who seek to control thought and censor speech.

The biggest push for strict AI regulation often comes from those who already dominate the market. When large incumbents demand safety regulations, we must ask: is this for the public good, or is it to entrench their market dominance?

The Trump administration will ensure AI developed in America remains free from ideological bias. Free speech is paramount, and we will safeguard against authoritarian manipulation of AI technology.

We will also protect American AI and chip technologies from theft and misuse. We urge our international partners to be cautious when engaging with authoritarian regimes that seek to dominate AI and technology infrastructure.

AI and the American Worker

Finally, this administration will prioritise American workers in AI policy. AI should not be seen as a disruptive force that eliminates jobs—instead, it should enhance productivity and create prosperity.

We will ensure that the US workforce is the best-trained in the world to leverage AI for job creation. AI education must be a priority from primary schools to professional training.

For all major AI policy decisions, the Trump administration will guarantee American workers a seat at the table.

Closing Remarks

I’ll close with a brief story. Yesterday, while touring France with my children, we saw the sword of the Marquis de Lafayette—America’s great international ally from our Revolution.

That sword symbolises a tool that, in the right hands, defends liberty and prosperity. AI is no different. If we stifle innovation, we risk our future. But if we embrace AI’s potential, we can build a stronger, more prosperous world.

The Trump administration will seize this opportunity, and we hope all nations gathered here today will do the same.

Thank you, and God bless you all.

Ursula von der Leyen EU leader at the AI Summit 2025

Paris, Tuesday 11th February 2025

AI safety, global race, European AI, competitiveness, public health, open source, AI factories, public investment, AI Giga factories, CERN model, AI Act, European health data, AI investment, industrial applications, mission-critical applications.

Now the past summits focused on laying the groundwork for AI safety. We built a shared consensus that AI will be safe and that it will promote our values and benefit humanity.

This summit is focused on action and now is exactly the time to formulate a vision of where we want AI to take us as a society and as humanity. We must act and accelerate Europe’s progress in getting there. That is what I would like to address today—Europe’s specific place in the global race on AI.

We want Europe to be one of the leading AI continents, and this means embracing a way of life where AI is everywhere. You all know that AI can help us boost competitiveness, protect our security, strengthen public health, and make access to knowledge and information more democratic. This is what entrepreneurs, researchers, investors, and business leaders are showcasing here in Paris and working on every single day.

This is a glimpse of the AI continent we want to become.

Too often, I hear that Europe is late to the race, that the United States or China have already taken the lead.

I disagree.

The AI race is far from over. The truth is, we are only at the beginning.

The frontier is constantly moving. Global leadership is still up for grabs, and behind the frontier lies the whole world of AI adoption. AI has only just begun to be integrated into key sectors of our economy and to tackle the greatest challenges of our time.

This should be Europe’s focus—bringing AI into industry-specific applications, harnessing its power for productivity and for people. This is where Europe can truly lead the race.

A Distinct European Approach to AI

Europe has everything to gain, but we also need our own distinctive approach to artificial intelligence.

Too often, I hear that we should simply replicate what others are doing and run after their strengths.

I disagree.

Instead, we should invest in what we do best and build on our own strengths. Europe has a history of scientific and technological mastery that has shaped the world.

As this summit shows, there is a distinct European brand of AI. It is already driving innovation and adaptation, and it is gaining momentum.

What are its defining features?

1. European AI focuses on complex applications, leveraging our unique industrial and manufacturing data and expertise.

   
   

2. European AI is cooperative. It brings talent together from different countries, industries, and backgrounds—just as our collaborative approach to science has produced groundbreaking discoveries.

   
   

3. European AI embraces open-source development. Open-source AI can spread much faster alongside proprietary systems.

   
   

Because of these strengths, Europe’s AI startup ecosystem is booming. The number of AI unicorns in Europe has increased tenfold in just a few years.

Scaling Up European AI Innovation

This European brand of AI is showing results, but now it needs to be supercharged.

That is why this Action Summit is the right place to be. Here, we will act in two key ways:

1. Empowering the best startups and scientists to shape the AI we need.

   
   

2. Providing access to computing power so that AI developers can train and test their models on Europe’s supercomputers.

   
   

In just a few months, we have set up a record 12 AI factories and are investing €10 billion in them.

This is not just a promise.

It is happening right now.

This is the largest public AI investment in the world, expected to unlock ten times more in private investment.

Our goal is that every company—not just the big players—has access to the computing power they need.

We want AI developers to compete based on innovation, not just on access to chips or financial power.

The Next Step: AI Giga Factories

Now, we are scaling up AI factories to the next level—AI Giga Factories.

These will be massive computing infrastructures designed to support very large AI models.

We want to replicate the success of CERN in Geneva. As you know, CERN hosts the world’s largest particle accelerator, bringing together the brightest scientific minds.

We want AI Giga Factories to do the same.

They will provide the computational power researchers, entrepreneurs, and innovators need.

We welcome talents from around the world to collaborate and contribute. Industries will be able to federate their data in safe spaces for AI development.

Take the European Health Data Space, for example. AI needs competition, collaboration, and public confidence.

This is the purpose of the AI Act—to provide a single set of AI safety rules across the European Union for 450 million people, replacing 27 different national regulations.

At the same time, we must simplify the process and cut red tape.

Mobilising AI Investment in Europe

Computational power requires immediate and substantial financial investment—from both public and private sectors.

I welcome the European AI Champions Initiative, which has pledged €150 billion from providers, investors, and industry.

And today, I can announce that, through the Invest AI Initiative, we will top this up by €50 billion.

That means we aim to mobilise a total of €200 billion in AI investment in Europe.

A Global Vision for AI

This investment will focus on industrial and mission-critical AI applications.

It will be the largest public-private AI partnership in the world for the development of trustworthy AI.

But cooperative AI can extend beyond Europe.

We support our partners in the Global South and, in this spirit, we fully support the AI Foundation, which is being launched today.

AI for the Benefit of All

AI can be a gift to humanity, but we must ensure its benefits are widespread and accessible to all.

We want AI to be a force for good.

We want AI where everyone collaborates and everyone benefits.

Closing Remarks

This is our path.

This is our European path.

Thank you very much for your attention.