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Macron says France has clean energy for AI's power needs

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US stance on AI summit statement remains uncertain

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European Commission chief to spell out AI strategy

(Recasts throughout, adds hyperlinks)

By Jeffrey Dastin and Elizabeth Howcroft

PARIS, Feb 11 (Reuters) - U.S. Vice President JD Vance

steps onto the global stage at the Paris AI summit on Tuesday,

where he is likely to deliver a candid message on Europe's

regulation of artificial intelligence and moderation of content

on Big Tech.

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.

On the summit's first day, host French President Emmanuel

Macron urged Europe to cut red tape to make it easier for AI to

flourish in the region, after the Trump administration's

unwinding of regulation laid bare how far strategies towards AI

in the United States, China and Europe have diverged.

Vance is a fierce critic of content moderation on big tech

platforms. In September, he suggested the United States could

drop its support for the NATO alliance if European countries

moderate content on Elon Musk's social media platform X.

"One of the things that America's moral leadership is going

to be about during President Trump's term is free speech," Vance

told Breitbart ahead of his trip, setting the tone for his

conversations with European leaders in the French capital.

"We want people to be able to speak their minds, and we

believe that free and open debate is actually a good thing.

Unfortunately, a lot of our European friends have gone the wrong

direction there."

In a sign of where his priorities lie, Vance told Breitbart

he was primarily in Paris to discuss Russia's war in Ukraine

with European counterparts.

Nonetheless, Vance will lead the American delegation at the

summit, where representatives of nearly 100 countries including

China, India and the United States will meet to determine if

competing national interests can be reconciled.

Macron highlighted one difference on Monday night. France

would not "drill, baby, drill" like the United States but tap

its carbon-free nuclear energy so companies could "plug, baby,

plug" to meet the voracious power needs of AI.

Macron said European Commission President Ursula von der

Leyen would unveil in her speech to the summit on Tuesday a

refreshed AI strategy for the bloc that "will be a unique

opportunity for Europe to accelerate, to simplify our

regulations".

EU digital chief Henna Virkkunen told Reuters on Monday that

the bloc would cut red tape when there is overlap, but also

ensure rules are respected.

"When it comes to our digital world, the European Union is

very committed to the fact that we want to have a fair and safe

and democratic environment," she said.

German Chancellor Olaf Scholz had this message for guests at

a summit dinner on Monday: "I urge European companies to join

forces for a strong joint effort towards AI made in Europe," he

said in prepared remarks seen by Reuters.

In a bilateral meeting, Vance and von der Leyen are also

likely to discuss Trump's substantial increase of tariffs on

steel.

OpenAI CEO Sam Altman was expected to address the summit on

Tuesday. A consortium led by Musk said on Monday it had offered

$97.4 billion to buy the nonprofit controlling OpenAI.

Altman promptly posted on X: "no thank you but we will buy

twitter for $9.74 billion if you want."

Separately, it was unclear if the United States and other

nations would embrace a draft summit statement circulated on

January 30 that called for an "inclusive approach" to AI that is

multi-stakeholder, human rights-based and bolsters the

developing world.

The draft declaration, seen by Reuters, laid out priorities

that included "avoiding market concentration" and "making AI

sustainable for people and the planet."

(Additional reporting by Florence Loeve and Elizabeth Pineau in

Paris, Andreas Rinke in Berlin; Writing by Jeffrey Dastin and

Richard Lough; Editing by Ingrid Melander and Catherine Evans)