French Finance Minister Says Calls to Slow AI Benefit US Industry Leaders

French Finance Minister Roland Lescure has criticised calls for a slowdown in artificial intelligence development, arguing that such appeals could benefit US companies and countries that are already ahead in the global AI race.

Lescure said France and other European countries should instead accelerate their adoption and development of AI while putting measures in place to identify and manage the technology’s risks.

“I can clearly see that the calls to slow down are now coming from those at the top of the class,” Lescure told Reuters on Wednesday on the sidelines of an event organised by French startup lobby France Digitale in Paris.

He argued that asking others to slow down could allow those already leading the sector to maintain their advantage.

“I want us to step up our efforts in France and across Europe, to become a leader and to be able to manage the risks,” he said.

His comments come amid renewed debate over the pace of AI development after Anthropic CEO Dario Amodei called for companies to slow the advancement of AI models, citing concerns over the technology’s potential misuse and the possibility of humans losing control over increasingly capable systems.

OpenAI CEO Sam Altman has also expressed support for pacing AI development, adding to growing discussions within the technology industry about how to balance innovation with safety.

Lescure said he was cautious about definitive predictions concerning the threat AI could pose to humanity.

“I am always wary of definitive statements,” he said, arguing that such declarations could sometimes become a way of avoiding collective responsibility for managing the technology.

The French minister nevertheless acknowledged that AI presents concrete risks, particularly in areas such as cybersecurity and education. He said France and Europe needed to recognise those risks while continuing to develop the technology.

The debate reflects a growing divide over how governments and technology companies should respond to increasingly powerful AI systems. While some industry leaders are calling for greater caution and stronger safety measures, European officials such as Lescure are stressing the need to avoid falling behind the United States in technological development.

The discussion is also taking place as AI-linked companies face growing scrutiny over the scale and speed of investment in the sector. Recent warnings from leading AI executives have contributed to renewed concerns about whether technological progress is moving faster than the safeguards needed to manage its consequences.

For Europe, the challenge is increasingly being framed around maintaining technological competitiveness while developing policies capable of addressing the risks associated with increasingly advanced AI systems.