PARIS — U.S. Vice President JD Vance is set to participate in a significant two-day summit dedicated to artificial intelligence in Paris next week. This event marks his inaugural overseas trip since taking office. A French diplomatic source confirmed this information on Tuesday, although they requested anonymity since the list of key participants has yet to be officially released.
The AI Action Summit, scheduled for February 10-11, will bring together world leaders, prominent government officials, top executives from the technology sector, and other stakeholders amid rapid advancements in artificial intelligence. As Vance has remained within U.S. borders since his inauguration last month, this trip signifies a new phase in his diplomatic engagements. The White House has yet to provide any comments regarding his attendance.
Among the notable attendees expected at the summit is China’s Vice Premier Ding Xuexiang. The event will be co-chaired by French President Emmanuel Macron and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, highlighting its international significance. The Grand Palais, which served as a venue for Olympic fencing and taekwondo events the previous year, will host the summit, while a dinner involving high-profile officials and executives will take place at the Elysee presidential palace.
This summit comes on the heels of a discussion by U.S. President Donald Trump, where he announced a substantial joint venture aimed at investing up to $500 billion into infrastructure related to artificial intelligence. This initiative involves a new partnership between OpenAI, Oracle, and SoftBank, dubbed Stargate. This collaboration plans to establish data centers and power generation facilities in Texas to support the ongoing growth and development of AI technology.
In the rapidly changing tech landscape, the emergence of China’s AI model, DeepSeek, has posed new challenges. DeepSeek provides companies with access to advanced technology at a significantly reduced cost and places pressure on other AI firms to enhance their offerings, potentially leading to lower prices across the sector.
Vice President Vance has previously voiced concerns over certain detrimental applications of AI. During a Senate hearing in July, he cautioned that rising concerns over AI could lead to premature regulatory actions that might reinforce the dominance of existing tech firms instead of fostering innovation.
