Officials from the Trump administration expressed concerns about the agreement, which aims to ensure AI development remains “sustainable for people and the planet” while being “open, inclusive, transparent, ethical, safe, secure and trustworthy.”

The US refusal was confirmed after Vice President JD [that's a sexy sofa] Vance delivered a speech at the Grand Palais, marking his first foreign address since Trump’s re-election. Vance emphasised the US leadership in AI development while warning against “authoritarian” regimes, alluding to China.

“Some of us in this room have learned from experience that partnering with them means chaining your nation to an authoritarian master that seeks to infiltrate, dig in and seize your information infrastructure,” Vance stated.

He warned against European-style regulation, suggesting it could hinder innovation and allow China to take the lead.

“The Trump administration will ensure that the most powerful AI systems are built in the U.S. with American design and manufactured chips,” he added.

Vance likened AI advancements to the steam engine, calling it a “new industrial revolution,” but cautioned that excessive regulation could deter innovation.

He also assured that AI systems developed in the US would be free from ideological bias, that the Trump administration would uphold free speech rights, and that the rest of the world could trust that.

A UK government spokesperson distanced the country’s decision from the US, stating, “We didn’t feel it sufficiently addressed broader questions around national security and the challenge that AI poses to it. This is about our national interest.”

French President Emmanuel Macron characterised Europe’s AI approach as a “third way,” balancing stringent regulations and public funding while contrasting it with the US’s free-market strategy and China’s state-controlled model.

Chinese Vice Premier Zhang Guoqing signalled Beijing’s intent to influence global AI regulations, advocating for “a community with a shared future for mankind.”

China’s open-source DeepSeek chatbot and its equal-access AI vision have drawn scepticism from critics, who view it as a means for Beijing to expand its global influence.