SCIENCE & TECH: JD Vance warns that ‘massive’ European regulation may kill AI

Vice President Vance told Europeans on Tuesday their “massive” regulations on artificial intelligence could strangle the technology, and rejected content moderation as “authoritarian censorship.”

In another sign of divergence on AI governance, the US and Britain did not sign up to the final statement of a French-hosted AI summit that said AI should be inclusive, open, ethical and safe.

The mood on AI has shifted as the technology takes root, from one of concerns around safety to geopolitical competition, as countries jockey to nurture the next big AI giant.

Setting out the Trump administration’s America First agenda, Vance said the US intended to remain the dominant force in AI and strongly opposed the European Union’s far tougher regulatory approach.

“We believe that excessive regulation of the AI sector could kill a transformative industry,” Vance told the summit of CEOs and heads of state in Paris.

“We feel very strongly that AI must remain free from ideological bias and that American AI will not be co-opted into a tool for authoritarian censorship.”

Vance criticized the “massive regulations” created by the EU’s Digital Services Act, as well as Europe’s online privacy rules, which he said meant endless legal compliance costs for smaller firms.

“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 prevent a grown man or woman from accessing an opinion that the government thinks is misinformation,” he said.

European lawmakers last year approved the bloc’s AI Act, the world’s first comprehensive set of rules governing the technology.

Vance is leading the American delegation at the Paris summit.

He left just after his speech, without listening to European Commission chief Ursula von der Leyen, who spoke right after him, or French President Emmanuel Macron, who gave the closing speech.

He later met separately with each, for talks.

China Warning

In his speech, Vance also appeared to take aim at China at a delicate moment for the U.S. technology sector.

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Last month, Chinese startup DeepSeek freely distributed a powerful AI reasoning model that some said challenged U.S. technology leadership. It sent shares of American chip designer Nvidia down 17%.

“From CCTV to 5G equipment, we’re all familiar with cheap tech in the marketplace that’s been heavily subsidized and exported by authoritarian regimes,” Vance said.

But “partnering with them means chaining your nation to an authoritarian master that seeks to infiltrate, dig in and seize your information infrastructure,” he added.

Vance did not mention DeepSeek by name.

There has been no evidence that information could surreptitiously flow through the startup’s technology to China’s government, and the underlying code is freely available to use and view.

However, some government organizations have reportedly banned DeepSeek’s use.