Context:

The AI Action Summit, held in Paris on February 10-11, 2025, concluded with the signing of the “Inclusive and Sustainable Artificial Intelligence (AI) for People and the Planet” statement by over 50 countries, including India, China, and the European Commission. However, the U.S. and the U.K. abstained from joining.

Key Outcomes of the Summit

1.   Coalition for Environmentally Sustainable AI – Launched by France in collaboration with UNEP & ITU, it aims to place AI on a more sustainable path. India is a founding member.

2.   Current AI Initiative – A global public interest partnership focusing on data, openness, and accountability. It aims to raise $2.5 billion over the next five years. India is a partner country.

3.   Paris Charter for AI of General Interest – Establishes principles of openness, accountability, participation, and transparency in AI. India adopted the charter.

4.   Paris Declaration on Maintaining Human Control in AI-enabled Weapon Systems – Calls for regulation of AI in warfare, but India did not endorse it.

Paris Joint Statement on Inclusive and Sustainable AI

The statement calls for accessible, ethical, and trustworthy AI, ensuring it benefits society while promoting international collaboration. It aims to:

• Reduce inequalities and help developing nations build AI capacity.
• Foster innovation without market monopolies.
• Address AI’s impact on jobs and labor markets.
  This marked a shift from the Bletchley Declaration (2023), which focused primarily on AI safety.

Summit Themes

1.   Public Interest AI – Ensuring AI serves social, economic, and environmental good.

2.   Future of Work – Addressing job displacement and promoting inclusive policies.

3.   Innovation & Culture – Balancing AI growth with cultural and creative industry protection.

4.   Trust in AI – Enhancing transparency, security, and safety.

5.   Global AI Governance – Creating an inclusive international framework for AI regulation.

Understanding AI

Artificial Intelligence (AI) enables machines to learn, reason, and perform human-like tasks. It operates through:

• Machine Learning (ML) – Algorithms that learn from data to improve decision-making.
• Deep Learning – Neural networks that mimic the human brain, excelling in image and speech recognition.
• Natural Language Processing (NLP) – AI’s ability to understand and respond to human language, as seen in voice assistants like Siri and Alexa.

AI’s Growing Energy Demand

According to the International Energy Agency (IEA), data centers powering AI already consume 1-2% of global electricity. This is expected to rise significantly in the coming years due to AI’s growing energy needs.

AI Action Summit Series

• 2023 – UK (Bletchley Declaration on AI safety).
• 2024 – South Korea (AI policy and governance).
• 2025 – France (co-chaired by India) (Focus on AI safety, innovation, governance, and future of work).

The Paris Summit reinforces India’s role in AI governance and marks a significant step toward global AI collaboration for a sustainable future.