Macron defends EU AI rules at Delhi summit, vows action on child safety and monopolies

Emmanuel Macron Pushes Back on US Criticism of AI Regulation

French President Emmanuel Macron has mounted a forceful defense of European AI regulation at the AI Impact Summit in Delhi, directly challenging recent criticism from the Trump administration. Speaking during France's presidency of the G7, Macron rejected claims that Europe's regulatory approach stifles innovation, stating: "Opposite to what some misinformed friends have been saying, Europe is not blindly focused on regulation. Europe is a space for innovation and investment, but it is a safe space, and safe spaces win in the long run" 1

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. His comments came just a day after the White House's senior AI adviser, Sriram Krishnan, renewed attacks on the EU's AI Act, claiming it was not "conducive to an entrepreneur who wants to build innovative technology" 1

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Shaping Global AI Regulation Through Indo-French Cooperation

Macron emphasized that France and the EU remain determined to lead efforts in shaping global AI regulation in partnership with allies including India. "We are determined to continue to shape the rules of the game... with our allies such as India," he told delegates at the summit 2

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. The French president praised India's achievements in building digital infrastructure, noting that India has created "a digital identity for 1.4 billion people" and "a payment system that now processes 20 billion transactions every month" through India Stack 3

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. This Indo-French cooperation extends beyond rhetoric, with Macron and Union Health Minister J P Nadda inaugurating the Indo-French Centre for AI in Health at AIIMS Delhi, aimed at building trusted AI systems 4

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Combating Child Digital Abuse Becomes G7 Priority

Macron announced that protecting children from child digital abuse will be a top priority during France's G7 presidency, following global outrage over AI-generated harmful content. "One of our G7 priorities will be, as well, children's protection against AI and digital abuse," he declared 2

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. The urgency stems from alarming research published by Unicef and Interpol across 11 countries, which found at least 1.2 million children reported having their images manipulated into sexually explicit deepfakes in the past year. In some countries, one in 25 children—the equivalent of one child in every classroom—had been affected 1

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. Macron's call for child safety was echoed by António Guterres, the UN secretary general, who told delegates that "no child should be a test subject for unregulated AI" 1

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. France is moving to ban social networks for children under 15 years old, with legislation already passed by French lawmakers awaiting Senate approval 2

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Preventing AI Monopolies and Building Sovereign AI Capabilities

Both Macron and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi warned against the concentration of AI power in a handful of companies, calling for preventing AI monopolies. "The future of AI cannot be decided by a few countries or left to the whims of a few billionaires," Guterres told delegates, including several US tech billionaires 1

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. Modi emphasized that "we must prevent an AI monopoly," advocating for open-source AI as an alternative to proprietary AI models controlled by about four US companies 1

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. Macron issued a stark warning that no country should be reduced to merely serving as a data market for foreign players to sell their AI models and extract citizens' data 3

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. He stressed that "India and France are committed to developing the computing capacity and talent necessary to build our own trusted AI systems, as we cannot rely solely on technologies created and managed elsewhere" 4

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Building Innovation Through Algorithm Transparency and Content Authenticity

Macron highlighted the need for algorithm transparency to address bias and ensure content authenticity in the age of AI. "Artificial intelligence must serve humanity - with strong protection for children, transparency in algorithms to address bias, and a firm commitment to preserving linguistic and cultural diversity," he stated 4

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. Modi echoed this concern, calling for "established levels of authenticity for content within the digital world ... people must know what is authentic, and what has been generated by AI" 1

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. France is actively building its AI workforce, with Macron noting that the country is "doubling the number of AI scientists and engineers trained," while India trains hundreds of thousands of AI engineers every year, making it "the second largest developer community in the world" with 500,000 engineers 3

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. With more than 11 AI startups thriving in France and creating "dozens of thousands" of jobs, Macron positioned Europe as proving that investment and innovation can coexist with responsible oversight 2

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. "Protecting our children is not regulation, as well. It is civilization," Macron concluded 2

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