VP Vance’s First International Journey: Joining Global Leaders at the Paris AI Summit

Vice President JD Vance is attending an important AI summit in Paris, marking his first international trip. He is there alongside world leaders to discuss the future of artificial intelligence.

Vance, who is 40, aims to counter European moves to impose strict regulations on AI. Instead, he wants to promote a flexible, innovation-friendly approach in the U.S.

On his arrival in Paris, Vance brought his wife and three children with him. After the summit, he’ll head to Germany for the Munich Security Conference, where he may meet with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.

This AI summit features top tech executives and policymakers. It’s a key event to explore how AI affects global security, the economy, and governance. Notably, Chinese Vice Premier Zhang Guoqing is also in attendance, highlighting China’s keen interest in influencing global AI regulations.

The summit reflects a competitive landscape in the AI world. Europe is focused on regulation and investment. China is pushing its agenda through powerful state-backed tech firms. Meanwhile, the U.S. is leaning towards a more relaxed approach under the Trump administration.

Vance is scheduled to have discussions with several leaders, including Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, and French President Emmanuel Macron.

His visit coincides with ongoing legislative efforts in the U.S. to ban the AI app DeepSeek from China due to concerns over data sharing with the Chinese government.

A key issue in this debate is preventing China from accessing sensitive user data. This concern has been a major reason for calls to ban TikTok, with many officials warning about potential national security risks.

In response to these discussions, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Guo Jiakun criticized the proposed ban. He stated that China supports open-source AI technologies and aims to make AI available to all countries.