Closing summary
… and on that note, it’s a wrap from me, Jakub Krupa.
Here are the three things to take away from today’s Europe Live blog:
US vice-president JD Vance has repeatedly criticised the EU’s overly cautious and prescriptive approach to digital regulation, urging Europe to look at the rise of AI with “optimism rather than trepidation” (10:51). In particular, he took aim at the EU’s Digital Services Act and the GDPR (10:53), and aimed the bloc to focus on opportunities instead of safety when planning for the roll out of artificial intelligence (10:44 and 11:15). As a sign of these tensions, the US and the UK declined to sign the final summit declaration (14:30).
Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelenskyy has warned that if Donald Trump withdraws US support for Ukraine, Europe alone will be unable to fill the gap (15:14). He spoke on the eve of what could be his most consequential diplomatic trip since Russia’s full-scale invasion three years ago, as he is due to meet Vance at the Munich Security Conference later this week (17:21).
European and world leaders have promised swift retaliation after Donald Trump signed proclamations imposing 25% tariffs on all steel and aluminium imports to the US in a move that risks precipitating a global trade war (9:21, 9:40, 10:26, 15:37).
And that’s all from me, Jakub Krupa, for today. See you again tomorrow.
If you have any tips, comments or suggestions, email me at jakub.krupa@theguardian.com.
I am also on Bluesky at @jakubkrupa.bsky.social and on X at @jakubkrupa.
Italian song contest that inspired Eurovision starts tonight
And finally, for something lighter…
The 75th Sanremo music festival, at the famous Teatro Ariston, starts tonight, kicking off a week of music with 29 artists competing for the prestigious win, which usually also means they get the Italian spot on the Eurovision final, this year in Basel, Switzerland, in May.
The rules are incredibly complex (they run into 40 pages!) but here’s the tl;dr:
On the first night, competitors will perform their entries – which must be kept secret until then – and be judged by the jury composed of the representatives of the press room, TV viewers, and audiences online. Later during the week, others get a say, too, with televotes and online votes all combined into the final score.
On the final fifth night, votes from all days will be added up, and the final five will be determined and invited to perform again, with the final decision made in equal parts by (1) televoting, (2) press room, TV and web jury, and (3) radio jury.
Got it? You may need a calculator for all of this.
Either way, every day the concerts run well into the night as they finish past 1am... but as the festival’s host, Carlo Conti, says: “Have fun. If you don’t have fun at Sanremo, then where?”
The competition will be streamed globally by Italian TV Rai.
Here is last year’s winner, Angelina Mango, with la noia.
Spain to give legal status to migrants affected by deadly Valencia floods
Spain’s leftist government said it will give one-year residence and work permits to undocumented migrants affected by last year’s devastating floods that killed over 200 people, AFP reports.
The measure approved by the cabinet is part of the government’s recovery response to the October 2024 disaster, which laid waste to swathes of the eastern Valencia region, an industrial and agricultural powerhouse.
The government expects the measures will benefit at least 25,000 people.
The one-year permits will be granted due to the “exceptional circumstances” faced by illegal migrants during Spain’s worst floods in decades, the migration ministry said in a statement. Once they expire, they can be renewed through regular channels.
JD Vance makes waves during first trip to Europe, but attention now moves to Ukraine
Sporting a T-shirt with the logo of “StartupCincy” movement helping tech start-ups in Cincinnati, US vice-president JD Vance looked relaxed before his first trip to Europe since inauguration.
Making a European debut in his new role, he naturally attracts a lot of attention as the world scrambles to make friends in the new US administration – and not just on AI, but (perhaps even more so) on defence and trade.
His first comments in Paris suggest he will not be afraid to speak his mind about what he sees as deficiencies of or problems with EU policies (10:51, 10:53, 11:46).
But before making his trip, Vance told Breitbart that actually Ukraine was the main reason for his visit to Paris as he wanted to “have some private conversations with the world leaders who are also going to be there.”
“I think there’s a lot that some of the leaders who are present at the AI summit could do to, frankly – bring the Russia-Ukraine conflict to a close, help us diplomatically there – and so we’re going to be focused on those meetings in France,” he said.
Pushing for an end to the nearly three-year war with Russia, Trump discussed the conflict in an interview with broadcaster Fox News that aired on Monday.
“They may make a deal, they may not make a deal. They may be Russian someday, or they may not be Russian someday,” he said.
And so the focus now shifts on to Munich, where Vance will take part in the Munich Security Conference with Ukraine and the future of Nato expected to dominate the agenda, and he will meet Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelenskyy.
The meeting could be Zelenskyy’s most consequential diplomatic trip since Russia’s full-scale invasion three years ago.
The Ukrainian leader warned today in an interview with the Guardian that if Donald Trump withdraws US support for Ukraine, Europe alone will be unable to fill the gap.
Diplomatic von der Leyen thanks US Vance for discussion on "shared challenges"
European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen has just said in a social media post that she had a good discussion with US vice-president JD Vance on “shared challenges.”
From security and stability to the great promise of technology and the critical challenge of non-market overcapacity.
Welcome to Europe @VP Vance
— Ursula von der Leyen (@vonderleyen) February 11, 2025
Thank you for a good discussion on our shared challenges as allies.
From security and stability to the great promise of technology and the critical challenge of non-market overcapacity.
Looking forward to continued cooperation with @POTUS and you.… pic.twitter.com/qHNeF3Q9X4
No mention of one of the challenges coming, erm, from the US, with the announcement on tariffs last night, though. Or on Vance’s brutal takedown of EU approach to tech regulation earlier today, neither (10:51, 10:53, 11:46).
UK refusal to sign AI summit declaration to do with weak language on security, government source says
A UK government source said the Paris AI summit declaration wasn’t strong enough on security and did not reflect the UK’s approach as a country. They rejected the suggestion that Britain was trying to curry favour with the US.
But a Labour MP said: “I think we have little strategic room but to be downstream of the US.” They added that US AI firms could stop engaging with UK regulators if Britain was perceived to be taking an overly restrictive approach to the development of the technology.
Campaign groups criticised the UK’s decision and said it risked damaging its reputation in this area. Andrew Dudfield, the head of AI at Full Fact, said the UK risked “undercutting its hard-won credibility as a world leader for safe, ethical and trustworthy AI innovation” and that there needed to be “bolder government action to protect people from corrosive AI-generated misinformation”.
Dan Milmo in Paris and Eleni Courea have the story.
Updated
Italy-based campaigner for migrants in Libya targeted in spyware attack
An Italy-based human rights activist whose work supports the international criminal court in providing evidence about cases of abuse suffered by migrants and refugees held in Libyan detention camps and prisons has revealed that Apple informed him his phone was targeted in a spyware attack.
David Yambio, the president and co-founder of Refugees in Libya, has been a critic of the Italian government’s migrant pact with the north African country and its recent controversial decision to release Osama Najim, a Libyan police chief wanted by the international criminal court (ICC) for suspected war crimes, including torture, murder, enslavement and rape. Yambio, 27, was an alleged victim of Najim’s abuses during his detention at the notorious Mitiga prison near Tripoli.
Yambio’s case followed revelations that an Italian investigative journalist and two activists critical of Italy’s dealings with Libya were among 90 people who received notifications from WhatsApp in late January alleging they had been targeted with spyware.
Angela Giuffrida in Rome and Stephanie Kirchgaessner have the story.
Former Spanish football boss tells court he asked player if he could kiss her
The former Spanish football federation boss Luis Rubiales has told a court that he asked the player Jenni Hermoso if he could kiss her before doing so after the Women’s World Cup victory in 2023.
“I am absolutely sure that she gave me her permission,” Rubiales, 47, told the court in Madrid. “In that moment it was something completely spontaneous.”
Rubiales is accused of sexual assault and then attempting to coerce Hermoso, with the help of three other former football federation officials, into publicly saying the kiss on the lips at the awards ceremony in Australia had been consensual.
He has denied the charges, saying the kiss was consensual, while Hermoso has said it was not.
The ensuing scandal eclipsed Spain’s first Women’s World Cup victory and spurred efforts by Spain’s female players to expose sexism and achieve parity with male counterparts.
Sweden marks week since Örebro shooting with minute of silence
Government offices, schools and workplaces fell silent in Sweden at midday on Tuesday in remembrance of the victims of a mass shooting at an adult education centre in Örebro last week when a gunman killed 10 people before turning his weapon on himself, Reuters reported.
A moving ceremony took place in Örebro itself, attended by thousands of people, including the country’s prime minister Ulf Kristersson.
“You don’t think something like this could happen,” local politician Inger Hogstrom-Westerling told news agency TT. “It happens in the US and other countries, but you never thought it could happen in Sweden and Örebro,” she said.
Police say they still do not know why Rickard Andersson, a 35-year-old unemployed loner, embarked on his killing spree and have found nothing to suggest any ideological motive. He appears to have had scanty social contacts, no social media presence, and no links to gang crime.
Seafood firm offers bounty to catch escaped salmon off Norway
Nordic correspondent
The global seafood company Mowi is offering a bounty to fishers who catch escaped salmon after an estimated 27,000 fish went missing from a farm off the Norwegian coast in what campaigners said was a “disaster for wild salmon”.
The world’s largest farmed salmon producer is offering a reward of 500 kroner (£36) per salmon caught after it said a quarter of its 105,000 salmon population escaped from a cage in Troms, north-west Norway.
In Norway, which exports 1.2m tonnes of farmed salmon a year, the problem is such that last summer wild salmon numbers dropped to a historic low, resulting in the closure of 33 rivers to salmon fishing. This summer 42 rivers and three fjords have been proposed for closure.
Updated
Strongest tremor yet hits Greek Santorini as it faces prolonged uncertainty
in Athens
Over in Greece it has been a difficult night for residents in Santorini where over the last 12 hours a barrage of tremors, one measuring 5.3 on the Richter scale, the strongest yet, have rattled the island and surrounding islets in the southern Aegean.
Scientists on Monday had expressed optimism – cautious but optimism nonetheless – that the unprecedented seismic crisis was showing signs of abate. Today most were saying it was premature to say the geological phenomenon was nearing an endpoint, or that the near 13,000 earth tremors registered thus far did not mean a much more powerful quake could be ruled out.
Some natural disaster experts have begun to fear that a rosier picture is being painted to avert a tourism crisis on Santorini, which as Europe’s top island destination drew 3.5 million visitors last year.
In an online post before he announced he would be resigning from the National Committee for Seismic Risk Assessment, the seismologist Akis Tselepis wrote: “Unfortunately with the recent seismic activity in Santorini we are, instead of speaking truths, spitting silence. It may be that this narrative spouted by politicians about supposed seismic recession ... is convenient for tourist interests but much more important than any profit is human life.”
The seismic swarm had, he warned, built up enough energy to provoke a 6 magnitude earthquake – multiple times more powerful than a 5.3 quake.
Greece’s chief disaster expert Efthymios Lekkas told state-run broadcaster ERT: “The main earthquake must be half a degree above the mass of earthquakes that have occurred so far in order to stand out – that is, 5.5-5.6.”
At least ten tremors registering over 4 on the Richter scale shook the island this morning.
“We’re beginning from the start, all over again, and we say that because we don’t know if the 5.3 Richter quake [last night] was the main quake and if so the climax of the [seismic] process,” another prominent seismologist Gerasimos Papadopoulos told the Newsit news portal. “We’re once again at another crucial crossroads because we had thought the 5.2 Richter quake on 5 February may have been the principal quake.”
Updated
European reactions to US tariffs - summary
As reported this morning, European and world leaders have promised swift retaliation after Donald Trump signed proclamations imposing 25% tariffs on all steel and aluminium imports to the US in a move that risks precipitating a global trade war.
Our Europe correspondent Jon Henley has this round-up of reactions from across the continent.
Far-right AfD claims it's best-placed to negotiate with Trump on tariffs, could circumvent EU
Berlin correspondent
The co-leader of the far-right Alternative für Deutschland (AfD), Tino Chrupalla, said his party was best-placed to negotiate on Germany’s behalf in the battle over steel and aluminium tariffs due to its friendly ties with the Trump administration.
Speaking to foreign journalists in Berlin on Monday before Trump’s bombshell announcement, Chrupalla noted that he had attended Trump’s inauguration on his team’s invitation and had an open communication channel with the White House.
“Germany can circumvent these tariffs with diplomacy, on the basis of negotiations,” he asserted, outlining a strategy that would apparently bypass the European Union.
“That’s why you need good political relations (with Washington)... If you have good contacts, meeting each other as equals, you’ll be able to reduce or eliminate these tariffs.”
The AfD is polling second on about 20% ahead of the 23 February election but the mainstream parties have ruled out forming a governing coalition with the far right.
Europe cannot guarantee Ukraine’s security without America, Zelenskyy tells Guardian
If Donald Trump withdraws US support for Ukraine, Europe alone will be unable to fill the gap, Volodymyr Zelenskyy has warned in an exclusive and extended interview with the Guardian, on the eve of what could be his most consequential diplomatic trip since Russia’s full-scale invasion three years ago.
Speaking a few days before his travel to the Munich Security Conference, where he is expected to meet the US vice-president JD Vance, Zelenskyy talked in Kyiv with my colleague Shaun Walker about:
Security guarantees without the US
There are voices which say that Europe could offer security guarantees without the Americans, and I always say no,” said the Ukrainian president during an hour-long interview with the Guardian at the presidential administration in Kyiv. “Security guarantees without America are not real security guarantees.
Offer to US business to get lucrative reconstruction contracts
Those who are helping us to save Ukraine will [have the chance to] renovate it, with their businesses together with Ukrainian businesses. All these things we are ready to speak about in detail.
Macron’s idea of a European peacekeeping force in Ukraine:
When it comes to Emmanuel’s idea, if it’s part [of a security guarantee] then yes, if there will be 100-150,000 European troops, then yes. But even then we wouldn’t be at the same level of troops as the Russian army that is opposing us.
Read the interview in full:
Paris AI summit 'a missed opportunity,' Anthropic chief says
The AI Action Summit in Paris was a “missed opportunity” on several fronts, the chief of AI developer Anthropic said, as reported by AFP.
“At the next international summit, we should not repeat this missed opportunity” to ensure democratic nations control AI, prepare for safety threats from the technology and pre-empt its social and economic disruption, said Dario Amodei, head of the firm whose products include the Claude AI chatbot.
What we know on US, UK refusal to sign Paris AI summit declaration so far
Global technology editor
The US and the UK have refused to sign the Paris AI summit’s declaration on “inclusive and sustainable” artificial intelligence, in a blow to hopes for a concerted approach to developing and regulating the technology.
The two countries did not immediately explain their reasons for not adding their names to a document backed by 60 signatories on Tuesday, including China, India, Japan, Australia and Canada.
Confirmation of the snub came soon after the US vice-president, JD Vance, took to the stage at the Grand Palais to criticise Europe’s “excessive regulation” of technology and warn against co-operating with China in a hard-hitting speech.
What's in the declaration?
We are still waiting for the final text of the declaration to be published by the Élysée, but…
The four-page declaration, seen by the Guardian in different leaked draft forms, says that “the rapid development of AI technologies is driving a major paradigm shift with various implications for our citizens and societies.”
It calls for “an inclusive, open and multi-stakeholder approach” to “ethical, safe, secure, trustworthy and human rights-based” AI, and urgent attempts to “reduce inequalities” in access.
It says that due regards needs to be paid to a long list of issues, including human rights, gender equality and linguistic diversity.
It also includes a commitment to “address the risks that AI could pose to the integrity of information and strengthen AI transparency.”
Let’s see what comes through in the final text if and when it gets published.
UK spokesperson declines to comment on decision not to sign AI declaration
Via our UK politics live with Andrew Sparrow live blog:
At the Downing Street lobby briefing, the PM’s spokesperson did not give a clear explanation for the decision not to sign the communique. But he said the government would always “put the national interest first in these areas”.
Updated
US, UK did not sign the AI summit declaration - Guardian confirms
Global technology editor
The Guardian has now confirmed that the US and the UK did not sign the AI Action Summit declaration.
Summit declaration controversy - context
In our overnight story, our global technology editor Dan Milmo and deputy political editor Jessica Elgot explained the context of the controversy surrounding the summit declaration:
Criticism of a draft communique has threatened to overshadow the summit’s final day on Tuesday, when Macron will be joined by von der Leyen as well as the US vice-president, JD Vance, and the Indian prime minister, Narendra Modi. Keir Starmer is not attending.
With the US reportedly unhappy about the wording, which includes phrases such as “sustainable and inclusive AI”, Politico reported on Monday that the UK was also minded not to sign the communique.
Speaking in Paris, the UK tech secretary, Peter Kyle, said the government was “in negotiations” over the statement but “that’s something we don’t comment on while the negotiations unfold”.
A government source said they hoped the negotiations would get to a place over the course of the summit where the UK could sign the declaration and said there was still a considerable amount of time left to have those discussions.
But the source suggested that the UK was prepared to walk away, saying the joint declaration had to be “squarely in British interests” or it would not get its backing. “We always want to get to a place of agreement but it needs to work for the UK,” they said.
Macron repeats calls for trusted framework for AI
In his speech, Macron talks about the need for a framework that builds trust to “get out of the risk-opportunity dilemma” without excessive regulation, but enough confidence to proceed with the rollout of the technology.
He warns that “if we break the trust, AI will divide the world,” with people increasingly frustrated by the way it was rolled out.
He lists a number of consideration to its trusted rollout, including fair and open access, focus on quality data and trusted third parties, privacy, security, and copyright.
He insists that is not a sign of lack of trust or thwarting innovation, but “it is allowing it to happen within an international space, in a way which will avoid fragmentation.”
But his words could now quickly be overshadowed by the controversy around the signatories of the summit declaration (11:39).
Updated
US, UK have not signed AI summit declaration - Reuters
The US and the UK have not signed the Paris AI Summit’s declaration, Reuters is reporting.
The communique states among priorities that “ensuring AI is open, inclusive, transparent, ethical, safe, secure and trustworthy, taking into account international frameworks for all” and “making AI sustainable for people and the planet.”
The US and Britain did not immediately explain their reasons for not being signatories.
The Élysée said it was possible that more countries could sign onto the declaration in the hours after the event.
We will bring you more on this shortly.
Macron's keynote speech
Macron is now delivering his keynote speech (in French).
You can watch the live stream below and we will bring you the key lines here.
JD Vance's speech at AI Action Summit in Paris - snap analysis
Global technology editor
This was very much the America First vision for AI. JD Vance’s speech at the Paris AI summit made clear that the Trump administration has no truck with the European approach to artificial intelligence and tech in general – or China’s.
In a wide-ranging and punchy address, the US vice-president started by throwing shade at the original summit held in the UK in 2023. That was badged the AI safety summit and Vance indicated that it was too cautious, referring to gatherings about cutting edge technology that can be “too self-conscious, too risk averse.”
Speaking in front of the head of the EU’s executive arm, Ursula von der Leyen, regulation was repeatedly criticised by Vance. The EU is leading the way in AI regulation with its AI act – and Vance made clear his discomfort with any legislation that could be construed as excessive. The EU’s digital services act - which covers social media - and the privacy-focused GDPR code also received passing criticism.
“We believe that excessive regulation of the AI sector could kill a transformative industry.”
He then added: “We need international regulatory regimes that foster the creation of AI technology rather than strangle it, and we need our European friends in particular to look to this new frontier with optimism rather than trepidation.”
Speaking in front of the Chinese vice premier Zhang Guoqing there was a clear warning to other nations about co-operating with China. Warning that partnering with authoritarian regimes “never pays off”, he said: “Some of us in this room have learned from experience partnering with [authoritarian regimes] means chaining your nation to an authoritarian master that seeks to infiltrate, dig in and seize your information infrastructure. Should a deal seem too good to be true, just remember the old adage that we learned in Silicon Valley, if you aren’t paying for the product, you are the product.”
It was reported overnight that Vance left a leaders’ dinner in Paris on Monday as Guoqing praised trade and the UN. If he went out on his own last night, Vance certainly went out on his own this morning.
Updated
Google CEO Sundar Pichai is now on stage, in conversation with American musician Pharrell Williams and Anne Bouverot, France’s special envoy for AI.
Pichai says that AI will “profoundly impact many areas,” giving AlphaFold as an example.
It used to take one person their entire PhD to do one protein and within three months, AlphaFold unlocked over 200 million protein structures. Now it’s an open database, and already we see hundreds of 1000s of researchers and biologists using it to develop vaccines, etc, so you can so tangibly feel the impact of progress.
He says he worries about “people who do not adopt it, countries which do not embrace it, and can get left behind through this crucial moment.”
He also talks about AI risks, highlighting the need to “think about image or video generation,” which can be used for both creative purposes and deepfakes, and so need standards to control them.
Europe could be 'one of the leading AI continents,' EU von der Leyen says, as she ignores Vance's comments
European Commission Ursula von der Leyen is up next on stage and the contrast between the two dynamic and the tone of the two speeches could not be bigger.
She says this is “the third summit on AI safety in just one year,” and yet “three new generations of ever more powerful AI models have been released in that time.”
She says she wants Europe to “be one of the leading AI continents,” and dismisses suggestions – including by Macron himself! – that “Europe is late to the race, while the US and China have already got ahead.”
“The AI race is far from over. Truth is, we are only at the beginning. The frontier is constantly moving, and global leadership is still up for grabs,” she says.
She says Europe wants its own “distinctive approach to AI,” focused on collaborative, open-source solutions.
She says the bloc “wants to replicate the success story of the CERN laboratory in Geneva,” with AI Gigafactories used to help and train very large models.
“We provide the infrastructure for large computational power. Researchers, entrepreneurs and investors will be able to join forces,” she says.
She ends by pledging additional €50bn for AI investment in the EU, bringing the total to €200bn.
Very notably, she does not respond to many of Vance’s criticisms of the EU and sticks to her speech.
'Focus matters,' Vance says, as he calls for focus on opportunities, not risks
Vance closes his speech with a reference to French military officer Marquis de Lafayette, who served during the American War of Independence.
He says he was given a chance to hold his sword during his tour of Paris last night, and it made him think about France, the US, and “the beautiful civilisation that we have build together.”
He says that sabres “are dangerous in the wrong hands, but are incredible tools for liberty and prosperity in right hands.”
He adds that “if we choose the wrong approach on other things that could be conceived of as dangerous, things like AI, and choose to hold ourselves back, it will alter not only our GDP or the stock market, but the very future of the project that Lafayette and the American founders set off to create.”
“This does not mean that all concerns about safety go out the window, but focus matters, and we must focus now on the opportunity to catch lightning in a bottle,” he says.
With great confidence, I can say it is an opportunity that the Trump administration will not squander, and we hope everyone convened here today feels exactly the same.
And that’s it.
Workers need a seat at the table in AI talks, Vance says
He then turns back to the issue of protecting workers, saying the “Trump administration will guarantee American workers a seat at the table” when discussing how AI will change our societies.
Vance says US will block AI, tech falling into authoritarian hands, with comments likely to be seen as a thinly-veiled shot at China
Continuing his speech, Vance now turns to “hostile foreign adversaries” who he says “have weaponised AI software to rewrite history, surveil users, and censor speech.”
He says the Trump administration “will block such efforts full stop,” and safeguard US technologies from “theft and misuse.”
In a passage likely to be read in the context of China, he says:
I would also remind our international friends here today that partnering with such regimes, it never pays off in the long term, from CCTV to 5G equipment, we’re all familiar with cheap tech in the marketplace that’s been heavily subsidised and exported by authoritarian regimes.
But as I know, and I think some of us in this room have learned from experience, partnering with them means chaining your nation to an authoritarian master that seeks to infiltrate, dig in and seize your information infrastructure.
Should a deal seem too good to be true, just remember the old adage that we learned in Silicon Valley: if you aren’t paying for the product, you are the product.
Updated
Vance warns against AI regulation and censorship
Vance briefly focuses on energy, saying “AI cannot take off unless the world builds the energy infrastructure to support it.”
But he then returns to the theme of regulation:
We face the extraordinary prospect of a new Industrial Revolution, one on par with the invention of the steam engine or Bessemer steel, but it will never come to pass if over regulation deters innovators from taking the risks necessary to advance the ball. Nor will it occur if we allow AI to become dominated by massive players looking to use the tech to censor or control users thoughts. …
Who is most aggressively demanding that we, meaning political leaders gathered here today, do the most aggressive regulation? It is very often the people who already have an incumbent advantage in the market.
He turns to examples of what he calls “ahistorical social agendas” replicated through AI in the last few years, and says “the Trump administration will ensure that AI systems developed in America are free from ideological bias and never restrict our citizens right to free speech.”
Vance takes direct aim at EU's Digital Services Act and GDPR laws
He continues:
The US innovators of all sizes already know what it’s like to deal with onerous international rules. Many of our most productive tech companies are forced to deal with the EU’s Digital Services Act and the massive regulations it created about taking down content and policing so called misinformation.
And of course, we want to ensure the Internet is a safe place, but it is one thing to prevent a predator from preying on a child on the internet, and it is something quite different to preventing a grown man or woman from accessing an opinion that the government thinks is misinformation.
He then turns on to the EU’s data protection rules, the GDPR:
Meanwhile, for smaller firms, navigating the GDPR means paying endless legal compliance costs or otherwise risking massive fines. Now, for some the easiest way to avoid the dilemma has been to simply block EU users in the first place. Is this really the future that we want?
Vance issues a warning shot against EU 'excessive' regulation of AI and tech
In a stark segment of his speech, JD Vance repeatedly criticises EU regulation of AI and technology.
He says:
America wants to partner with all of you. We want to embark on the AI revolution before us with the spirit of openness and collaboration.
But to create that kind of trust, we need international regulatory regimes that fosters the creation of AI technology rather than strangles it, and we need our European friends in particular, to look to this new frontier with optimism, rather than trepidation.
He picks up Trump’s comments on potential enforcement against US Big Tech companies and says “America cannot and will not accept that.”
However, the Trump administration is troubled by reports that some foreign governments are considering tightening the screws on US tech companies with international footprints.
America cannot and will not accept that, and we think it’s a terrible mistake, not just for the United States of America, but for your own countries.
Vance also says that AI models should be kept free of “ideological bias,” warning that that “American AI will not be co opted into a tool for authoritarian censorship.”
He also says that the US administration will keep a pro-worker focus when looking at the roll out of technology.
Excessive regulation could paralyse AI, Vance warns
JD Vance continues, talking about “revolutionary applications” of AI and the need to deregulate to allow for its fast development and its roll out.
Our administration, the Trump administration, believes that AI will have countless revolutionary applications and economic innovation, job creation, national security, health care, free expression and beyond, and to restrict its development now will not only unfairly benefit incumbents in the space, it would mean paralysing one of the most promising technologies we have seen in generations.
He warns that “excessive regulation of the AI sector could kill a transformative industry just as it’s taking off,” calling he would like to see “that deregulatory flavour making its way into a lot of the conversations during this conference.”
‘Not here to talk about safety, but opportunity,’ US VP Vance says
US vice-president JD Vance is speaking now, and he opens with a comment on how much the debate on AI has moved on since the 2023 summit in Bletchley Park in Britain.
I’m not here this morning to talk about AI safety, which was the title of the conference a couple of years ago. I’m here to talk about AI opportunity.
When conferences like this convene to discuss a cutting edge technology, oftentimes, I think our response is to be too self conscious, too risk averse. But never have I encountered a breakthrough in tech that so clearly calls us to do precisely the opposite.
We're 'at the dawn of the AI age that will shape humanity,' Indian PM says
In his speech, Indian prime minister Narendra Modi speaks of the potential of AI, including in healthcare, but warns about “many biases we need to think carefully about.”
He says the technology is “developing at an unprecedented scale and speed,” and requires a “collective global effort” to introduce governance and standard frameworks to make sure it works as intended and no country, including in the global south, is excluded.
He says that while many fear job losses, there is also potential to “invest in skilling and re-skilling our people,” and says India is uniquely positioned with diverse pool of talent.
“We are at the dawn of the AI age that will shape the course of humanity. Some people worry about machines becoming superior in intelligence to humans, but no one holds the key to our collective future and shared destiny, other than us, humans. That sense of responsibility must guide us,” he says.
We need to 'embrace progress' with AI, Macron says
Opening Day 2 of the AI Action Summit in Paris, French president Macron makes a reference to the 1937 Expo held there, saying that the French Nobel prize winning physicist Jean Baptiste Perrin used the event to “embrace progress and succeed in having science at the service of humanity.”
“This is exactly our challenge with artificial intelligence,” he says.
EU ‘will respond as one’ to US tariffs if not given choice, Germany’s Scholz says, but warns ‘trade wars cost prosperity’
But before we cover the Paris event, let’s very quickly take a look at what German chancellor Olaf Scholz said in the Bundestag this morning, at the last discussion on current affairs in the parliament before the election of 23 February.
Speaking about the prospect of US tariffs, he said:
If the US does not give us any other choice, the EU will respond as one. As the largest market in the world, with 450 million citizens, we have the strength to do so.
But I hope that we are spared the misguided path of tariffs and countertariffs. In the end, trade wars always cost both sides prosperity.
But in an highly political speech, as you would expect just weeks before the vote, he also repeatedly took aim at opposition leader Friedrich Merz, accusing him of “U-turns” on a number of issues, including German support for Ukraine, energy and the economy.
He also once again used his attack line that Merz’s CDU/CSU proposals on migration were “madness” as they would break the EU’s unity.
“If the EU is targeted by American tariffs ... then we are more dependant on European solidarity than any other country. Do you think this solidarity will be there if Germany deliberately breaks European law and closes its borders? Do not be naive,” he says.
Day 2 of AI Action Summit in Paris under way
French president Emmanuel Macron is on stage now.
I will bring you the latest here, but you can also follow the live stream here:
EU trade chief calls US tariffs 'economically counterproductive' and promises response
EU trade commissioner Maroš Šefčovič has also just been speaking about US tariffs in the European Parliament, calling them “economically counterproductive,” “bad for businesses, worse for consumers,” and “raising costs for [US] businesses and fueling inflation.”
He said the bloc was “assessing the scope of the measures announced overnight,” but “will be responding in a firm and proportionate way with countermeasures.”
Here is what he said:
Europe faces an increasingly complex world marked by, among other things, rivalry and unpredictability that impacts our trade relations around the world in the EU.
Turning to our relations with the United States, unfortunately, tariffs came back.
Overnight, the President of the United States signed a proclamation imposing 25% tariffs on all steel and aluminium imports into the US as from 12 March; he has also announced reciprocal tariffs on other products coming this week.
We deeply regret these decisions and announcements. The EU sees no justification for the imposition of tariffs on our exports, which is economically counterproductive, especially given the deeply integrated production chains established through our extensive transatlantic trade and investment ties.
Tariffs are taxes: bad for businesses, worse for consumers, and by imposing tariffs, the US will be taxing its own citizens, raising costs for its own businesses and fueling inflation. In addition, tariffs are not only harmful for the trading partners directly involved, but also risk having disruptive effects for many others, as well as the global trading system as a whole. Put simply, it is a lose-lose scenario. …
We are currently assessing the scope of the measures announced overnight, and will be responding in a firm and proportionate way by countermeasures.
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EU to trigger 'firm and proportionate countermeasures' against US tariffs, von der Leyen says
European Commission president Ursula von der Leyen has just responded to US tariffs on aluminium and steel announced overnight, saying the bloc will respond with “firm and proportionate countermeasures."
Here is what she said:
I deeply regret the US decision to impose tariffs on European steel and aluminium exports.
Tariffs are taxes – bad for business, worse for consumers.
Unjustified tariffs on the EU will not go unanswered – they will trigger firm and proportionate countermeasures.
The EU will act to safeguard its economic interests. We will protect our workers, businesses and consumers.
Now, an immediate disclaimer on that advice I got from chatbots.
New research found that leading artificial intelligence assistants create distortions, factual inaccuracies and misleading content in response to questions about news and current affairs.
More than half of the AI-generated answers provided by ChatGPT, Copilot, Gemini and Perplexity were judged to have “significant issues”, according to the study by the BBC.
So, be warned, don’t automatically trust whatever you get from bots, and always double check it with reputable sources, of course.
(Not entirely sure if this presence of distortions, factual inaccuracies and misleading content would necessarily be a problem when dealing with Trump, though.)
Morning opening: The Art of the Deal
US president Donald Trump has overnight confirmed his plan to impose tariffs on all aluminium and steel imports from everywhere in the world, including Europe.
Most steel used in the US comes from Mexico and Canada, with smaller numbers from Asia and Europe, with German manufacturers worried about indirect consequences if Chinese or Indonesian steel gets diverted to Europe. Italy and Spain are concerned, too.
But there is also a clear political question: how should the EU respond?
European Commission president Ursula von der Leyen and French president Emmanuel Macron will meet with US vice-president JD Vance today, on the sidelines of the AI Action Summit in Paris. It will be their first formal meeting since the inauguration of the new US administration last month.
Keeping with the theme, I have asked various AI models to take on the role of a European leader and offer suggestions on how to respond to Trump’s increasingly assertive trade policy.
It turns out that models do seem to reflect the way policymaking is now being done in respective geographies.
French Mistral AI’s Le Chat has offered me a rather bland “European Commission officials on a working trip to Brugge” type of response (also making me think of the “let’s do away with computers” scene from the brilliant British TV series the Thick of It).
It told me – and I swear to God, this is verbatim from its answers – to “present a unified front”, “show solidarity with the member states,” and engage in “high-level dialogue,” before considering “targeted retaliatory measures” and filing a complaint to the World Trade Organization. Oh, and to “invest in innovation” to “enhance the competitiveness of European industries.”
So good, it could be leaked from an EU official’s inbox, and we would not know.
When I asked for unorthodox solutions, it told me to organise a “flashmob” (are they even still a thing in 2025?), record “viral videos,” and buy a billboard in a US city to “raise awareness” about the impact of tariffs. Yeah, good luck with that.
American OpenAI’s ChatGPT struck was notably (way) more bullish, directing me to “play the Art of the Deal against Trump” and convince him we can get “a big, beautiful deal,” potentially even named after him, and claim it is “the best in history,” while actually getting whatever we want for Europe.
“Instead of reacting defensively, we should go on the offensive,” it said, adding that we should also retaliate with expansive tariffs but suspend their application to “leave uncertainty hanging over US businesses” and essentially scare Trump into submission.
It then told me to “publicly praise his brilliant negotiating skills while quietly working around him,” and “use exaggerated flattery to make him think removing tariffs was his idea all along” by forcing him to “meet his erratic behaviour with controlled unpredictability of our own.”
“He may not play by the rules, but that doesn’t mean we can’t beat him at his own game,” it concluded.
Someone better send that to Ursula and Emmanuel before they meet with Vance for a Parisian lunch.
It’s Tuesday, 11 February 2025, and this is Europe live. It’s Jakub Krupa here.
Good morning.
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