European leaders debate in Dublin how to accelerate AI development and reduce technological dependence on the US and China

European leaders debate in Dublin how to accelerate AI development and reduce technological dependence on the US and China (REUTERS) European Union leaders will hold their first summit dedicated to artificial intelligence (AI) this Friday in Dublin, with the goal of defining a common strategy to boost the development of the technology, reduce dependence on the United States and China, and establish mechanisms to address its economic, social and security risks. The meeting will be attended by Arthur Mensch, chief executive of the French company Mistral AI, and Geoffrey Hinton, an artificial intelligence pioneer and Nobel Prize winner. The gathering will take place amid growing concern about AI's impact on economies and societies, as well as the challenges posed by its rapid development. The leaders will seek to determine how to accelerate European investment, overcome bureaucratic obstacles, and ensure that the bloc can compete with the leading technological powers without neglecting the protection of its citizens and businesses. European Council President António Costa defended the need to open a specific debate among heads of state and government. "Given the rapid pace of AI development, I believe a first dedicated debate is now needed, at leaders' level, on the opportunities AI presents, as well as on its transformative effect on our economies and societies," he wrote in the invitation letter he sent to the leaders last week. One of the main objectives will be to strike a balance between promoting innovation and regulating its potential consequences. In that framework, Mensch will speak about the opportunities the technology offers the European economy and the possibilities of developing Europe's own AI models. European Council President António Costa defended the need to open a specific debate among heads of state and government (REUTERS) Mistral, considered Europe's leading AI model developer, has advocated a strategy of technological acceleration, in contrast to calls from some US executives to slow down its development. Among them were Sam Altman, chief executive of OpenAI, and Dario Amodei, of Anthropic, who this year argued for the need to slow the pace of the technology's advance. For their part, Estonia and Finland called on the European Union before the summit to establish common mechanisms to respond to serious AI-related incidents. In a joint letter, the two countries defended the need to "develop advanced AI and govern it responsibly." Estonian Prime Minister Kristen Michal warned of the risks of repeating past mistakes regarding technological dependence. "We should not make the same mistake. We must invest in new technologies," he told the AFP news agency, referring to Europe's dependence on external suppliers for fossil fuels and critical minerals. The agenda will also include AI's effects on rights, employment and security. For that discussion, the leaders will hear from Geoffrey Hinton, a researcher and former Google employee, known for his warnings about the risks of the technology. Hinton and computer scientist Yoshua Bengio led the warnings about its potential threats in the months following the launch of OpenAI's ChatGPT in 2022. The summit will also be shaped by recent turmoil in the tech sector, in particular by the scandal involving Nvidia, one of the central companies of the artificial intelligence industry, and its chief executive, Jensen Huang. Revelations about two alleged extramarital affairs by the businessman, one of them with a woman accused of spying for China, caused repercussions in the sector. The summit will also be shaped by recent turmoil in the tech sector, in particular by the scandal involving Nvidia, one of the central companies of the artificial intelligence industry, and its chief executive, Jensen Huang (REUTERS) Although Nvidia does not officially appear on the leaders' agenda, a European official quoted by AFP said that will not prevent one of the participants from raising the issue during the discussions. The same source indicated that the leaders will likely want to examine the possible security consequences of the case. The controversy coincided with a negative day for tech stocks in international markets. Although the United States has greater stock market exposure to artificial intelligence, shares in the sector in various countries also posted losses on Thursday following Huang's resignation. At the same time, the European Union must resolve structural difficulties to consolidate its position in the market. The European Chips Act, launched three years ago, will likely fail to meet its goal of attracting advanced manufacturing and doubling the bloc's share of the global semiconductor market to 20% by 2030. Nor has the project to build seven AI gigafactories — designed to bring together advanced processors, software, cloud technology, high-speed connectivity and data centers — fully taken off. The initiative faces disputes among member states over spending to improve competitiveness in the European budget for the 2028-2034 period. In addition to artificial intelligence, the leaders will address the war in Ukraine and Europe's participation in negotiations to reach a peace agreement with Russia. The issue was added as the second central item on the agenda, one day after US envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner traveled to Dublin to meet with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, following their talks with Russian leader Vladimir Putin in Moscow. Zelensky and Kushner confirmed that Europe will participate in the next round of peace negotiations with Russia (REUTERS) A senior European official anticipated that the leaders could discuss the European Union's role in the negotiations and the possible security guarantees the bloc would be willing to offer in the event of a ceasefire. (With information from AFP and REUTERS)