Vance Warns Europe Against Over-Regulation of Emerging AIVance Warns Europe Against Over-Regulation of Emerging AI

(Bloomberg) -- Vice President JD Vance said that the Trump administration will work to make the US the “gold standard worldwide” for artificial intelligence as he issued strong warnings against regulating political speech. 

Speaking Tuesday to an audience in Paris that included several European Union leaders, he took particular aim at the bloc’s tough regulatory approach to social-media platforms and AI, accusing it of trying to clamp down on Silicon Valley.  

“The Trump administration is troubled by reports that some foreign governments are considering tightening the screws on US tech companies with international footprints,” Vance said during an AI summit hosted by French President Emmanuel Macron. “Now America cannot and will not accept that, and we think it’s a terrible mistake, not just for the United States of America, but for your own countries.”

He also said that the AI revolution won’t occur “if we allow AI to become dominated by massive players looking to use the tech to censor or control users thoughts.” He also warned countries against helping foreign adversaries gain access to advanced AI technology.

Vance’s appearance in Paris is his first major engagement on his first foreign trip as Donald Trump’s vice president. It’s a key test for the former Ohio senator, nearly 40 years Trump’s junior, who has positioned himself as an heir apparent to the president’s so-called MAGA movement. 

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He is set to meet with Macron, is expected to meet with European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen.

The encounter comes at a delicate moment for US-EU relations. Trump and Vance have been sharply critical of the European Union over its regulatory policies they say target American technology companies, including Apple Inc., Meta Platforms Inc, and Alphabet Inc.’s Google. 

“Many of our most productive tech companies are forced to deal with the EU’s Digital Services Act and the massive regulations it created about taking down content and policing so called misinformation,” Vance said, referring to the bloc’s law that requires social-media platforms to moderate content. He added, “For some, the easiest way to avoid the dilemma has been to simply block EU users in the first place.”

Macron closed the conference by defending Europe’s approach, calling for international governance over AI and stressing the need to build a framework of trust.

The challenge, for companies and their investors as well as governments, “is to work out how to maintain confidence in artificial intelligence and its use, because that will be the key to its success.” Macron said. “We need these rules for artificial intelligence to progress.”

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Trump, who has threatened to impose tariffs on the bloc over its trade policy, on Monday announced 25% tariffs on global imports of aluminum and steel. That triggered a warning from the EU of countermeasures.

Vance also pledged to protect US chip technology from misuse by authoritarian regimes or foreign adversaries. The Biden administration had restricted the export of artificial intelligence chips from the likes of Nvidia Corp. to some of EU member states. EU officials have been pushing for the Trump administration to reverse that decision.

“We will safeguard American AI and chip technologies from theft and misuse, work with our allies and partners to strengthen and extend these protections and close pathways to adversaries attaining AI capabilities that threaten all of our people,” he said. “And I would also remind our international friends here today that partnering with such regimes, it never pays off in the long term.”

Later this week, Vance will be one of several US officials attending the Munich Security Conference, where European allies will be seeking details of the Trump administration’s plans to resolve Russia’s war against Ukraine.

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Political Succession

Vance has sought to carve out a policy portfolio in the midst of some of the Trump administration’s top priorities in his first weeks as vice president. He’s also been a point person on Trump’s nominations, cajoling individual senators to confirm some of the president’s more controversial Cabinet picks.

An ideological convert to Trump’s brand of economic populism, Vance has also become one of Trump’s most vocal and combative champions. And at 40, Vance is nearly four decades younger than his 78-year-old boss, who is constitutionally prohibited from being elected president again in 2028.

Trump, however, has so far specifically declined to endorse his chosen vice president as his political successor.

Asked about it directly in a Fox News interview aired Monday, Trump praised Vance as “very capable,” before adding that “I think you have a lot of very capable people.” It’s “too early” to make such a determination, Trump said. 

European Regulation

The technology space is a particular sweet spot for Vance, whose interest extends beyond his professional connections as a former venture capitalist with close ties to billionaire Peter Thiel and Silicon Valley. He was also deputized by Trump to work with National Security Adviser Michael Waltz to secure a deal on purchasing the US arm of the popular social media application TikTok.

Yet it’s also become a flashpoint for tensions between Europe and the new White House. 

Over the past decade, the EU has sought to rein in technology companies, establishing hefty penalties for firms that fall afoul of the bloc’s rules on AI, social media, and competition.

US companies have often been on the receiving end of the bloc’s enforcement. Apple, Google and Meta have all been slapped with significant fines, and Elon Musk’s X and Meta are facing probes under the EU’s content moderation rulebook that could result in fines of 6% of their yearly global sales.

Musk and Meta Chief Executive Officer Mark Zuckerberg have in turn ramped up their rhetoric against EU’s regulation, accusing the bloc of censorship. Last week, Meta’s policy lead Joel Kaplan said the company would not sign an EU-sponsored code of practice for advanced AI models, calling it “unworkable and infeasible.” 

With Silicon Valley and the Trump administration growing increasingly closer, the White House has been vocal about its displeasure with the EU crackdown. Speaking in Davos last month, Trump lashed out at EU fines against tech companies, labeling them “a form of taxation” and announcing “some very big complaints with the EU.” 

AI Development

Trump has framed AI development as a national security priority, casting it as essential for the US to maintain leadership in the sphere. 

The intensified focus on artificial intelligence comes as Chinese startup DeepSeek jolted competitors in the US and around the world with the debut of an AI model seen as competitive with other chatbots at a fraction of the cost.

Vance didn’t refer to DeepSeek in his remarks, but insisted that the US would develop AI in a way that would benefit US workers.

“We believe and we will fight for policies that ensure that AI is going to make our workers more productive,” he said. “And we expect that they will reap the rewards with higher wages, better benefits and safer and more prosperous communities.”