Artificial Intelligence Action Summit – Paris 2025

By Antonio Tejeda Encinas, President of CEA Digital Law (Euro-American Committee of Digital Law) and CEO of META Channel Corporation

📅 10 and 11 February 2025

1. Introduction: a defining event for artificial intelligence worldwide

The Artificial Intelligence Action Summit, held in Paris on 10–11 February 2025, was not just another global technology conference. It was a declaration of intent.

More than 100 world leaders, international organisations, tech giants and AI experts met to address the major tensions the world faces as this technology advances at speed. Europe, the United States and China arrived with clearly defined positions, and their agreements and disagreements revealed an unprecedented struggle for technological power.

The themes that dominated the sessions were clear:

✅ Regulation vs. innovation : Should citizens be protected or companies allowed to develop AI without restrictions?

✅ The geopolitical weight of AI : Who will dominate the next decade? Can Europe compete with the US and China, or will it be left behind?

✅ The EU’s withdrawal of key regulations : A strategy to accelerate growth or a capitulation to corporate interests?

✅ Impact on employment and sustainability : Will AI bring prosperity or destroy jobs and harm the environment?

The future of artificial intelligence as a driver of society, the economy and global politics was at stake.

2. The three decisions that defined the summit

Beyond the speeches and promises, the Paris summit produced concrete decisions that will shape the future of AI worldwide.

(A) Europe backtracks: the AI Liability Directive is withdrawn

In a move that drew both praise and criticism, the European Commission announced the withdrawal of the AI Liability Directive.

This proposal was intended to set clear rules on who is liable when an AI system causes harm, but its withdrawal was justified on three main grounds:

1️⃣ Avoid barriers to innovation : Large European technology companies lobbied to remove rules that would make them less competitive against the US and China.

2️⃣ Reduce bureaucracy : It was argued that the AI Act already establishes sufficient controls over high-risk AI.

3️⃣ Decentralised liability : Instead of a single EU-wide rule, each country will be able to set its own legal framework.

🔍 Consequences and reactions

🔹 Legal fragmentation in the EU : Companies will now have to navigate a patchwork of national rules.

🔹 Less legal certainty for citizens : Victims of poorly designed AI systems may have no clear way to claim compensation.

🔹 A win for Big Tech : Without a single directive, multinationals will operate from the countries with the laxest rules.

The decision shows that Europe is no longer sure of its strict regulation strategy. The fear of falling behind the US and China has outweighed the legal protection of citizens.

(B) InvestAI: €200 billion for AI in Europe

If the withdrawal of the AI Liability Directive caused controversy, the announcement of InvestAI was Europe’s show of strength.

💰 €200 billion will be used to make the continent a global leader in artificial intelligence, with three main objectives:

1️⃣ Create an AI infrastructure independent of the US and China.
2️⃣ Promote ethical AI aligned with European values.
3️⃣ Develop home-grown models and reduce dependence on external technology.

📢 AI Gigafactories: The CERN of artificial intelligence or a mirage?

One of InvestAI’s most ambitious projects is the construction of AI gigafactories: facilities designed to train advanced artificial intelligence models with their own computing capacity.

🔎 What are AI gigafactories?

✅ High-capacity supercomputers able to train AI with European autonomy.
✅ They aim to reduce dependence on US infrastructure from companies such as Google, Microsoft or Nvidia.
✅ Likened to CERN in physics, but focused on AI.

💡 Problems and challenges

❌ Europe does not produce competitive chips : It will continue to depend on Nvidia, AMD and American manufacturers.
❌ The energy cost is enormous : Without a green energy strategy, the carbon footprint will be immense.
❌ Talent drain : Europe continues to lose engineers and AI experts to Silicon Valley.

Is this project viable? If executed well, it could allow Europe to develop AI without depending on the US, but without its own hardware these gigafactories could end up as centres reliant on foreign chips.

(C) International Declaration on Ethical AI

🌍 61 countries signed an agreement to promote “open, inclusive and ethical” AI.

🔴 The US and the UK refused to sign , arguing that this framework could slow innovation.

🇫🇷 France announced its own national AI plan , with an investment of 109.2 billion euros .

3. Key tensions and debates

Beyond the announcements, the Paris summit became a battleground of ideas and strategies.

🔥 Regulation vs. innovation : Should AI be developed unchecked or under strict controls?

🏆 Global competition and digital sovereignty : Can Europe compete with the US and China without its own hardware?

👨‍💻 Impact on employment : Are we heading towards an era of mass AI unemployment?

🌱 Sustainability : How can we stop AI consuming more resources than we can afford?

4. Key decisions after the summit

✅ The EU will review the AI Act to make it more flexible.
✅ The proposed regulation on standard essential patents (SEPs) was withdrawn.
✅ A UN-led International Scientific Panel on AI was announced.

5. The future of AI is being decided now

The Paris 2025 Summit made it clear that the world is at a point of no return in artificial intelligence.

🔹 Europe has relaxed its regulations to try to compete, but still depends on the US and China for hardware and talent.

🔹 The key questions now are:

❓ Will Europe be able to consolidate itself as a power in AI or will it remain a secondary player? How will fairness be ensured in a world dominated by algorithms? Who will control AI in the coming years?
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