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French President Emmanuel Macron kicked off the event with a series of deepfaked videos of himself, seemingly more amused than concerned.People -- government leaders, tech executives, academics, and researchers among them -- from more than 100 countries flocked to the event to talk about AI innovation, governance, public interest, trustworthiness, and its impact on the future of work.InformationWeek spoke to three experts who attended the event to get a sense of some of the major themes that emerged from the third global AI summit.Global Competition and TensionWhile the AI Action Summit brought together people from around the world, a sense of competition remained strong. Macron urged Europe to take a more innovative stance in hopes of being of player in the AI race being run by China and the US.US Vice President JD Vance took to the stage at the summit to declare that the US would be the dominant player in the AI space.Georges-Olivier Reymond, cofounder and CEO of quantum computing company Pasqal, tells InformationWeek that hardware was a key discussion point at the summit. The US, for example, placed restrictions on AI chip exports.Related:Control the hardware, you have your sovereignty. And for me, that is one of the main takeaways of this event, Reymond tells InformationWeek.While Vance gave voice to the America First approach to AI, the US is still facing stiff competition. Earlier this year, DeepSeek burst onto the scene, seemingly giving China an edge in the global race for AI dominance. The companys founder Liang Wenfeng did not attend the summit, but other stakeholders from China did. Chinese Vice Premier Zhang Guoqing spoke about a willingness to work with other countries on AI, Reuters reports.Many countries in attendance, including France and China, signed an international agreement on inclusive and sustainable AI. But the US and UK are two notable holdouts, splintering hopes for a unified, global approach to AI.Innovation vs. RegulationIn 2023, the first global AI meeting was held in the UK. The second was held in Seoul, South Korea, last year. This year marks a shift away from the emphasis these two events put on safety.Going into the AI Summit in Paris, France wanted to demonstrate the concrete benefits of AI, as opposed to solely its potential risks, Michael Bradshaw, global applications, data, and AI practice leader at Kyndryl, an IT infrastructure services company, tells InformationWeek via email.Related:Vance was vocal about prioritizing innovation over safety. The AI future is not going to be won by hand-wringing about safety, he said, the New York Times reports. And Macron called for Europe to move faster.While innovation may be in the front seat, regulation still has a role to play if AI is to be safe and secure and actually deliver on the value it promises.My takeaways center on the opportunities we have to ensure that AI is deployed to benefit society broadly, Matthew Victor, co-founderof the Massachusetts Platform for Legislative Engagement (MAPLE), a platform that facilitates legislative testimony, tells InformationWeek via email. While the development of social media created an array of significant harms, we have an opportunity to ensure that AI technologies are deployed to drive economic opportunity and growth, while also strengthening our civic capacities and the resilience of our democracy.More Change AheadGiven the speed with which AI is moving, policymakers are hard pressed to keep up.Yet, I believe global policymakers, especially through constructive industry engagement and events like the AI Action Summit that present an opportunity for dialogue, are advancing with the best intentions on behalf of their public and economic interests, says Bradshaw.Related:What the change ahead looks like could be hard to predict, but there are areas to watch. For example, Reymond was invited to the summit to speak about quantum computing and AI. It's a clear signal that now AI and quantum are linked, and people recognize that, he says.Reymond anticipates that quantum could take a great leap forward in the next few years. It could be a moment two to three years away, and it will have the same impact that ChatGPT [did], he says. And I think that the [governments] should be ready.When the next global AI summit arrives, to be hosted in India, world leaders and technology stakeholders will be facing the same big questions about AI leadership, its value, and its safety but just how much the technology has changed by then and how it will reshape the answers to those questions remains to be seen.About the AuthorCarrie PallardyContributing ReporterCarrie Pallardy is a freelance writer and editor living in Chicago. She writes and edits in a variety of industries including cybersecurity, healthcare, and personal finance.See more from Carrie PallardyNever Miss a Beat: Get a snapshot of the issues affecting the IT industry straight to your inbox.SIGN-UPYou May Also LikeWebinarsMore WebinarsReportsMore Reports