The US refused to sign an "inclusive" and "sustainable" artificial intelligence declaration on Tuesday, as Washington criticised Europe for excessive AI regulation and warned China not to use the cutting-edge technology to tighten its grip on power.

The message, conveyed by US Vice-President J.D. Vance at the Artificial Intelligence Action Summit in Paris, was delivered at the first global meeting the Donald Trump administration has joined - with the characteristic disruption that has defined the new US government.

At the two-day summit, attended by some 1,500 participants from around 100 countries, UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres warned that AI's immense power is concentrated in a few hands, without mentioning the US.

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"While some companies and countries are entering a race for speed with unprecedented investments, most developing nations are falling by the wayside," he said, adding that the concentration of AI know-how "threatens to exacerbate geopolitical divisions".

Tuesday's gathering laid bare significant divisions over the promise and regulation of AI, particularly given its potential to cure diseases and advance scholarship even as it takes humans out of the loop and further divides societies with inflammatory content and deepfakes.

Vance told the assembled national and tech industry leaders that excessive regulation "could kill a transformative sector just as it's taking off", calling on Europe to show "optimism rather than trepidation".

Citing the "extraordinary prospect of a new industrial revolution, one on par with the invention of the steam engine", Vance contended that it would "never come to pass if overregulation deters innovators from taking the risks necessary to advance the ball".

French President Emmanuel Macron speaking at the summit, held at the Grand Palais in Paris, on Tuesday. 

In an apparent rejection of the US position, French President Emmanuel Macron, who hosted the meeting at the Grand Palais and followed Vance, promoted global rules as the "foundation, alongside innovation and acceleration, of what will allow AI to arrive and endure".

Vance's defiant tone in his first policy speech on the international stage as vice-president got most of the attention, however, including his thinly veiled criticism of China, saying that "authoritarian regimes" were keen to use AI to increase control over citizens at home and abroad.

"Partnering with them means chaining your nation to an authoritarian master that seeks to infiltrate, dig in and seize your information infrastructure," Vance said.

Vance's stance was a lonely one at the summit, supported by Britain, which also chose not to sign the declaration while adding that it also conferred with France on its more cautious approach.

The US tech community - and millions of investors - were jolted last month when Chinese start-up DeepSeek unveiled a sophisticated large language model comparable to ChatGPT that it said was developed for a fraction of the cost.

The release was a public relations coup for Beijing, which has long bridled against US tech export restrictions. Since then, several countries including the US have taken steps to block the app from government devices, citing security concerns.

Vance also condemned "cheap" technology "heavily subsidised and exported by authoritarian regimes" - an apparent reference to surveillance cameras, face recognition systems and 5G mobile internet equipment exported by China.

The closing statement, signed by more than 60 countries including China, aimed to erect some guardrails around the fast-moving technology, including a vow to "promote AI accessibility" and "ensure AI is open, inclusive, transparent, ethical, safe, secure, and trustworthy".

It also called on leaders to make AI "sustainable" for people around the world and use it to protect "human rights, gender equality, linguistic diversity, consumer rights, and intellectual property".

China's decision to join the majority, a move that set the US further apart, surprised some, given Beijing's traditionally combative stance on human rights issues.

Chinese Vice-Premier Zhang Guoqing, who represented China at the meeting, said that Beijing would work with other countries to safeguard security, share achievements and build a community with a "shared future for mankind", according to the Xinhua news agency.

Chinese Vice-Premier Zhang Guoqing at the AI summit; China signed the closing statement. 

The US delegation did not explain its reason for not signing the declaration, but diversity, gender equality and sustainability are all themes the Trump administration has railed against.

Analysts said Britain's decision not to sign the document was framed by its desire to avoid disaffecting the Trump administration less than a month into its tenure.

While the Trump administration advocates minimal regulation to fuel innovation, Europe is more focused on safety and accountability even as Beijing seeks a dominant position in the global race for supremacy, provided it does not undercut Chinese social stability.

While concerned about safety, the EU also wants to remain competitive. European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said an "InvestAI" initiative had amassed €200 billion (US$207 billion) in AI investments across Europe, including €20 billion dedicated to AI gigafactories.

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