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The US "totally" rejects global governance of AI, White House technology adviser Michael Kratsios said Friday, noting that "risk-focused obsessions" inhibit a "competitive ecosystem". Kratsios addressed an AI summit in New Delhi a day after French President Emmanuel Macron told the gathering that Europe is determined to be a "safe space" for AI innovation.
Issued on: 20/02/2026 - 11:14Modified: 20/02/2026 - 11:35
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Delegates attend the AI Impact Summit in New Delhi, India, February 17, 2026. AP 01:41 White House technology adviser Michael Kratsios said Friday that the United States "totally" rejects global governance of artificial intelligence.
Kratsios, head of the country's delegation to a major AI summit in New Delhi, made the comments ahead of an expected leaders' statement setting out a shared vision on how to handle the divisive technology.
"As the Trump Administration has now said many times: We totally reject global governance of AI," he said at the summit, which draws to a close on Friday.
"AI adoption cannot lead to a brighter future if it is subject to bureaucracies and centralised control."
On Friday morning, UN chief Antonio Guterres had said that a new expert panel convened by the global body aimed to "make human control a technical reality".
The advisory group – aiming to be to AI what the UN's Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) is to global warming – was created in August, and its 40 members have now been confirmed, Guterres said.
The AI Impact Summit is the fourth annual international gathering focused on the risks and opportunities presented by advanced computing power.
Read moreAI summit in India kicks off with focus on ‘welfare for all’
At last year's edition in Paris, US Vice President JD Vance warned against "excessive regulation" that "could kill a transformative sector".
In New Delhi, Kratsios said that "international discussion of AI has evolved, as this summit itself attests", noting the change of the meeting's name from "AI Safety" to "AI Impact".
"This is clearly a positive development," but "too many international forums, such as the UN's Global Dialogue on AI Governance, maintain a general atmosphere of fear", he said.
"We must replace that fear with hope," Kratsios added, saying that AI has the potential to "advance human flourishing and drive unprecedented prosperity".
He argued that "ideological, risk-focused obsessions, such as climate or equity, become excuses for bureaucratic management and centralisation".
"In the name of safety, they increase the danger that these tools will be used for tyrannical control."
"Focusing AI policy on safety and speculative risks... inhibits a competitive ecosystem, entrenches incumbents, and isolates developing countries from full participation in the AI economy," Kratsios said.
His comments came a day after French President Emmanuel Macron told the AI Impact Summit that said he was determined to ensure safe oversight of the fast-evolving technology.
Read moreEurope will be a 'safe space' for AI innovation, Macron tells India summit
The European Union has led the way for global regulation with its Artificial Intelligence Act, which was adopted in 2024 and is coming into force in phases.
"We are determined to continue to shape the rules of the game ... with our allies such as India," Macron said in New Delhi.
"Europe is not blindly focused on regulation – Europe is a space for innovation and investment, but it is a safe space," Macron said.
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