Vance says Europe risks killing AI with bureaucracy
U.S. Vice President J.D. Vance criticizes EU AI regulations, arguing they could hinder innovation, while reaffirming America’s leadership in AI development.
[:en]Photo: Reuters[:]
On Tuesday, U.S. Vice President J.D. Vance told Europeans that their “big” AI regulations could stifle the technology, and dismissed content moderation as “authoritarian censorship.” The mood around AI has shifted as the technology takes hold, from security concerns to geopolitical competition as countries race to nurture the next big AI giant, reported by Reuters.
Last year, European lawmakers approved the EU’s Artificial Intelligence Act, the world’s first comprehensive set of rules governing the technology. Vance criticized the “bulk regulations” created by the EU’s Digital Services Act, as well as Europe’s online privacy rules, known as GDPR, which he said would mean endless compliance costs for smaller firms. Vance leads US delegation to Paris summit.
Vance: Trump will ensure US remains leader in AI
Vance, outlining the Trump administration’s “America First” agenda, said the United States intends to remain the dominant force in AI and strongly opposes the European Union’s much more restrictive regulatory approach. He believes that over-regulation of the AI sector could kill the transformative industry. He believes AI must remain free from ideological bias and that American AI will not be co-opted as a tool of authoritarian censorship.
Last month, Chinese startup DeepSeek distributed a powerful AI reasoning model for free, which some said challenged US technological leadership. The move sent shares in US chipmaker Nvidia down 17%. From video surveillance to 5G equipment, cheap technologies on the market are heavily subsidized and exported by authoritarian regimes, Vance said. Vance did not mention DeepSeek by name. There is no evidence that information can secretly flow through the startup’s technology to the Chinese government, and the underlying code is freely available for use and review. However, some government organizations have reportedly banned the use of DeepSeek.
Macron: France has clean energy for AI needs
Speaking after Vance, French President Emmanuel Macron said he fully supports eliminating red tape, but he stressed that regulation is still needed to ensure trust in AI, otherwise people will eventually reject it. European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen also said the EU would cut red tape and invest more in AI.
During the bilateral meeting, Vance and von der Leyen are also likely to discuss Trump’s significant increase in steel tariffs. OpenAI CEO Sam Altman is expected to speak at the summit on Tuesday. Vance said the US will support American-made AI developed by big players, and that US laws will ensure a level playing field for big tech, small tech and all other developers.
