Macron pushes a new AI safety pledge in Paris, but the US stays out

France has convinced a group of countries to commit to making artificial intelligence safer. The move came out of a summit in Paris, and it was President Emmanuel Macron's initiative.

The pledge, known as the Paris Appeal, is meant to get governments pulling in the same direction on AI safety. But not everyone came along: some participants, including the United States, did not sign it.

That split will sound familiar. At the Bletchley Park summit in Britain in 2023, 28 countries and the EU signed a declaration on the risks of cutting-edge AI. At the Paris AI Action Summit in February 2025, dozens of countries backed a declaration on inclusive AI, while the US and the UK held back.

So the big question is whether a pledge without Washington can really set the tone for how AI is regulated. For now, the group that did sign has put its name to more safety, and France is the one leading the push.