President Emmanuel Macron said Wednesday it was "critical" that France and the UK work together on artificial intelligence (AI) in order to catch up with the United States and China. The "UK and France are probably the two nations to be part of the race and leading the race in Europe" on AI, Macron told a London university event during his state visit.
Speaking in English at Imperial College London, Macron said the neighboring nations "are lagging behind both the US and China. (...) And the big question for all of us is how to be part of the competition and indeed to de-risk our model and not to be dependent on US and or Chinese solutions." The French president added: "The partnership between (the) UK and France is for me critical, because we (...) face the same challenges."
However, differences have emerged between the UK and France on regulating AI. Prime Minister Keir Starmer has invited companies to test their AI innovations in the UK outside of regulatory restrictions, a clear distinction with the European Union following Brexit. By contrast, dozens of Europe's biggest companies last week urged the EU to pause its landmark AI rules, warning that going too fast could harm the bloc's ability to lead in the global artificial intelligence race.
Several scientific and technological agreements have been announced on the sidelines of Macron's visit to the UK, including a joint engineering laboratory between Imperial College London and the French National Centre for Scientific Research. "From Concorde to the Channel Tunnel, UK-French collaboration has produced iconic engineering feats that defied limits and shaped history," Hugh Brady, president of Imperial College London, said in a statement Wednesday. The statement added that "the lab will bring together some of the world's most eminent engineers to develop proposals for major projects that could rapidly advance UK and French strategic priorities, including AI."