Artificial intelligence moved to the centre of global diplomacy on the final day of the G7 Summit in France as world leaders and top technology executives gathered to discuss the opportunities and risks posed by the fast-growing technology.
The discussions took place in the lakeside town of Evian-les-Bains, where leaders of the Group of Seven nations met some of the biggest names in artificial intelligence, including OpenAI chief executive Sam Altman, Google DeepMind chief executive Demis Hassabis and Anthropic chief executive Dario Amodei.
US President Donald Trump and leaders from the Group of Seven nations held talks with OpenAI chief executive Sam Altman, Google DeepMind chief executive Demis Hassabis and Anthropic chief executive Dario Amodei in Evian-les-Bains. The discussions focused on how countries can harness the benefits of artificial intelligence while reducing its risks.
‘Regulation has become imperative’: Macron
French President Emmanuel Macron, who hosted this year’s summit, said governments and businesses can no longer ignore the effect that artificial intelligence could have on democracies and societies.
“No one, neither political leaders nor business leaders, can any longer ignore the impact of AI on our democracies, on our societies,” Macron said. “That is why the possibility and the necessity of regulation have now become imperative,” he added.
Macron also criticised restrictions imposed by the Trump administration on the use of some advanced AI models by foreign nationals. While he accepted that cutting-edge AI systems can pose security risks, he said that an excessively nationalist approach could undermine international cooperation.
“What do they fear? That these models could be used by others to attack them or attack us,” Macron said, adding that the US decision was also “a bad thing” in certain respects.
‘The US-Iran deal created a positive atmosphere’: Meloni
Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni said discussions on artificial intelligence took place in an atmosphere shaped by wider geopolitical developments, particularly the tentative agreement between the United States and Iran.
“The US-Iran agreement … clearly had a positive influence” on the summit’s climate, Meloni said. She said the leaders showed unity on major global issues. She spoke about the need for cooperation among Western allies as emerging technologies such as artificial intelligence increasingly intersect with national security and international politics.
‘Do not cede your responsibilities to AI labs like mine’: Altman
OpenAI chief executive Sam Altman urged governments to take the lead in shaping the rules for artificial intelligence. He told leaders that the debate over whether AI is useful has largely ended and that even more powerful systems will emerge in the coming years.
“Do not cede your responsibilities to AI labs like mine,” Altman said. “We develop the technology, and the citizens of the free world make the rules,” he added.
What other leaders said
Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney also spoke about the importance of reducing dependence on a small number of AI providers and strengthening international cooperation on the technology. He warned that countries would be making a mistake if they failed to learn from recent disruptions in access to advanced AI models.
European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said the United States and Europe have a shared interest in working together on artificial intelligence. “We use each other’s trusted technology, and our financial systems are interconnected,” she said.
Discussions on AI
The discussions on AI took place after G7 leaders spent much of the three-day summit addressing the war in Ukraine, developments in the Middle East and global economic challenges. On the final day, leaders turned their attention to artificial intelligence and met executives from some of the world’s most influential AI companies.
Besides OpenAI’s Sam Altman, Google DeepMind’s Demis Hassabis and Anthropic’s Dario Amodei, the discussions included Mistral AI chief Arthur Mensch, Cohere founder Aidan Gomez, Sakana AI founder Ren Ito, Sarvam AI co-founder Vivek Raghavan and Salesforce chief executive Marc Benioff. Executives from Germany’s Black Forest Labs, Britain’s Synthesia and Italy’s Domyn also attended the meeting.
The G7 comprises the United States, Canada, Britain, France, Germany, Italy and Japan. Guest countries at this year’s summit included India, Brazil, Egypt, Kenya, South Korea, Qatar, Ukraine and the United Arab Emirates.
Concerns about the impact of artificial intelligence on children were also discussed at the summit. As world leaders met AI executives, spouses of several G7 leaders attended a separate event titled “Protecting Children in the Age of Artificial Intelligence,” focusing on online safety, mental health and the risks that advanced technologies pose to young users, reported Reuters.