Keir Starmer refuses to back Macron over AI as bromance comes to an end

By David Williamson, Chief Political Commentator

Embattled French President Emmanuel Macron (Image: Getty)

Britain has rejected France’s effort to get the world’s large powers to sign-up to an planetary statement connected Artificial Intelligence.

French President Emmanuel Macron brought satellite leaders unneurotic successful Paris but could not get the United States oregon the UK to motion the declaration.

Downing Street said it failed to code “harder questions” astir nationalist safety.

A Number 10 spokesperson defended the decisions, saying: “This is astir our ain nationalist interest, ensuring the equilibrium betwixt accidental and security.”

Refusing to motion the declaration volition not assistance Sir Keir’s Starmer’s efforts to get the French president onside arsenic helium works for a “reset” of relations with the European Union.

When asked if the Government is disquieted astir upsetting France, a Number 10 spokesperson said: “No. We are and ever person been clear-eyed connected the request to guarantee information is baked into AI from the outset.”

Last period Science Secretary Peter Kyle warned the UK had been “asleep astatine the instrumentality erstwhile it comes to the adjacent boundless imaginable of this technology” and warned that Britain “can’t spell connected with an attack which allows AI-driven accidental and prosperity to trundle on astatine a snail’s pace”.

US Vice President JD Vance had urged Europe to instrumentality light-touch attack to regulating AI. But helium besides warned against doing deals with “authoritarian regimes”.

He said that excessively overmuch regularisation of AI could “kill a transformative manufacture conscionable arsenic it’s taking off”.

And successful an evident jab astatine China, helium said: “Some authoritarian regimes person stolen and utilized AI to fortify their subject quality and surveillance capabilities, seizure overseas information and make propaganda to undermine different nations’ nationalist security. I privation to beryllium clear, this medication volition artifact specified efforts afloat stop.”

France, China and India are among the 60 countries which signed the declaration which states that “making AI sustainable for radical and the planet” is simply a priority.

President Macron said: “We request these rules for AI to determination forward.”