Why the so-called AI Action Summit falls short

Ever since Chat-GPT’s debut, artificial intelligence (AI) has been the center of worldwide discussions on the promises and perils of new technologies. This has spawned a flurry of debates on the governance and regulation of large language models and “generative” AI, which have, among others, resulted in the Biden administration’s executive order on AI and international guiding principles for the development of generative AI and influenced Europe’s AI Act. As part of that global policy discussion, the UK government hosted the AI Safety Summit in 2023, which was followed in 2024 by the AI Seoul Summit, leading up to this year’s AI Action Summit hosted by France.

As heads of states and CEOs are heading to Paris for the AI Action Summit, the summit’s shortcomings are becoming glaringly obvious. The summit, which is hosted by the French government, has been described as a “pivotal moment in shaping the future of artificial intelligence governance”. However, a closer look at its agenda and the voices it will amplify tells a different story.

Focusing on AI’s potential economic contributions, and not differentiating between for example large language models and automated decision-making, the summit fails to take into account the many ways in which AI systems can be abused to undermine fundamental rights and push the planet's already stretched ecological limits over the edge. Instead of centering nuanced perspectives on the capabilities of different AI systems and associated risks, the summit’s agenda paints a one-sided and simplistic image, not reflective of global discussion on AI governance. For example, the summit’s main program does not include a single panel addressing issues related to discrimination or sustainability.

A summit captured by industry interests cannot claim to be a transformative venue

This imbalance is also mirrored in the summit’s speakers, among which industry representatives notably outnumber civil society leaders. While many civil society organizations are putting on side events to counterbalance the summit’s misdirected priorities, an exclusive summit captured by industry interests cannot claim to be a transformative venue for global policy discussions.

The summit’s significant shortcomings are especially problematic in light of the leadership role European countries are claiming when it comes to the governance of the AI. The European Union’s AI Act, which recently entered into force, has been celebrated as the world’s first legal framework addressing the risks of AI. However, whether the AI Act will actually “promote the uptake of human centric and trustworthy artificial intelligence” remains to be seen. 

It's unclear if the AI Act will provide a framework that incentivizes the roll out of user-centric AI tools or whether it will lock-in specific technologies at the expense of users. We like that the new rules contain a lot of promising language on fundamental rights protection, however, exceptions for law enforcement and