French President Emmanuel Macron called Wednesday for boosting the development of artificial intelligence in Europe while putting in place “smart” regulations that don’t impede tech companies’ growth.
Macron, who visited Europe’s biggest startup and tech event Vivatech, said “we’re too far behind in terms of innovation and we’re regulating too slowly.”
He said France and the EU are lagging behind UK and the world’s biggest players, the U.S. and China.
His comments came as lawmakers in Europe signed off Wednesday on the world’s first set of comprehensive rules for artificial intelligence.
It could be years before the rules fully take effect. Three-way negotiations involving EU member states, the Parliament and the European Commission, are still to take place.
Macron praised EU talks as a “good debate” but said that by the time rules are released, “we’ll have regulated on presuppositions and knowledge that are almost already obsolete.”
He added he was “very cautious” about making regulations “too rigid.”
Rapid advances in chatbots like ChatGPT have shown the benefits the emerging technology can bring — and the new perils it poses.
