The Group of Seven (G7) of the world's leading advanced economies and richest liberal democracies wrapped up a three-day summit in the French Alps today with a discussion on the controversial future of artificial intelligence and the dominance of the United States (US) in the industry.
Executives from leading artificial intelligence companies, including OpenAI CEO Demis Hassabis, Google DeepMind CEO and Dario Amodei, CEO of Anthropic, are attending the discussions as US President Donald Trump and other leaders wrap up formal talks of leading industrial nations in the lakeside resort and spa of Evian-les-Bains with a session on the future of artificial intelligence, and once again on boosting economic growth.
The G7 joint statement said members are committed to providing a "safe digital space" for minors and called on governments, technology companies and public authorities to prioritize protecting their physical and mental health, privacy and online safety.
They are calling on technology companies to develop "safe age assessment" systems to protect children from inappropriate online experiences and make artificial chatbots safer to use.
It also states that parents should be empowered to manage their children's online behavior, including the use of parental control tools.
G7 leaders discussed the revolutionary technology of artificial intelligence, and French President Emmanuel Macron called for the introduction of regulation.
"No one - neither political leaders nor business leaders - can any longer ignore the impact of artificial intelligence on our democracies, on our societies. That is why the possibility and necessity of regulation has now become imperative," he said.
G7 leaders spent much of Tuesday's meeting discussing Russia's war with Ukraine and a framework agreement to end the war in Iran. Trump did not reveal details of the agreement the United States and Iran are expected to sign in Switzerland on Friday, saying "nobody knows what it is, but it's very strong."
The G7 includes France, Canada, Germany, Italy, Japan, the United States and the United Kingdom, and among the guest countries at this summit are Brazil, Egypt, India, Kenya, South Korea, Qatar, Ukraine and the United Arab Emirates.
Host Macron said the summit, attended by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, Macron's guest, helped convince Trump that Russia had no serious intention of negotiating peace.
It is too early to say whether there will be a clear impact from the Evian summit, Macron said - future developments will determine its impact, "but there was an Evian moment, certainly for Ukraine," he said.
Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni said the existence of the agreement gives leaders an opportunity to show unity among Western allies in the face of major global crises.
"The US-Iran deal... clearly had a positive impact" on the climate of the summit and all leaders congratulated Trump, she said.
Speaking to reporters at the end of the meetings, she said discussions were dominated by the war in Ukraine and the Middle East and the Gulf, adding that G7 leaders agreed on the need to maintain support for Kiev and "strong pressure on Moscow."
Meloni said that Western unity is "one of the most effective tools" for creating conditions for negotiations, with the aim of direct talks between Ukrainian President Zelensky and Russian President Vladimir Putin.
She said Zelensky had shown a "sincere attitude" towards the solution, while "no serious signals had come from Moscow."
Macron cited what he described as China's "industrial overcapacity, excessive subsidies and weak domestic consumption."
The French president said Europe needs to invest more and modernize its economies, while the United States needs to address its fiscal and trade deficits.
The French president said the US-Iran agreement was "a very good deal" and that US allies in the G7 supported it "because it is an agreement that puts an end to a situation of great instability that has had terrible consequences for our economies."
At his press conference, Macron detailed the declarations – nine in total – that the summit produced on cancer, rare earths, the Ebola epidemic in Congo and other topics.
Macron said the Evian summit had produced "unprecedented convergence" among G7 leaders, including Trump, in support of Ukraine: "we all agreed to increase the supply of anti-aircraft defense with additional systems and interceptors, as well as long-range capabilities."
Trump "highlighted the mobilization of the American defense industry and its ability to provide such equipment," Macron said at a press conference.
Macron also praised the leaders' agreement to increase pressure on Russia, including through stronger sanctions, as "extremely important."
At his press conference, the French president detailed the progress that, he said, had been made: "This was a moment of unity, high-quality discussions and real cooperation between leaders," Macron said.
When asked how confident he was that the announced ceremonial signing of a memorandum of understanding between the US and Iran in Switzerland on Friday that would lead to an end to their war would take place, Trump remarked that "you never know with agreements, do you? But you'll find out soon enough."
He added: "I think it will be done. They want to sign. They want to get back to normal life."
Trump said the memorandum of understanding he initialed with Tehran was "very strong" and "a long and, you know, quite detailed memorandum that is moving into a regular agreement."
The preliminary agreement would provide Iran with at least $300 billion to rebuild after an intense bombing campaign led by the US and Israel, according to leaked copies of the document.
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But Trump insists the US will not help with those efforts.
"We're not going to give a dime," Trump said. "Others can decide to do it, but that's up to them. We're not investing in it and we don't have the fund for it."
Trump said he was not asking Gulf countries to contribute. He said other countries were free to do so if they wanted to.
Regarding the deal with Iran, he said that "it's a memorandum of understanding and if I don't like it, we'll go back to shooting at them, dropping bombs."
Trump also reiterated his claim that his negotiating skills and willingness to use military action forced the Iranians to reach a deal: "Nobody but me could have made this deal," he said.
Although he said about the memorandum with Iran that "nobody knows what it is, but it's very strong," Trump pointed out that the rise in stock market values confirms the agreement: "There's nothing smarter than the market, and the market loves it."
The US president also told reporters that he had "great meetings" with "a group of people that used to be the G8, and now it's the G7. I don't know if it was a good deal or not," Trump noted.
Trump has previously said that Russia's removal from the G8 in 2014, after it annexed Crimea, was a "mistake."
The US President is set to have a glittering dinner at the Palace of Versailles near Paris before returning to Washington tonight.
In a joint statement from the summit, the leaders wrote that they had "serious concerns" about "economic coercion practices, including arbitrary export restrictions and retaliatory measures on critical minerals." That was a clear reference to China's curbs on exports of rare earth elements, which have rattled industries around the world.
"We will work together with partners to reduce critical dependencies and ensure that attempts or threats to weaponize economic dependency fail. We seek to deter and be prepared to take action, where necessary in a coordinated manner, against economic coercion," their statement said.
German leader Friedrich Merz said the G7 leaders had discussed "very openly" and "very constructively" the issues on the summit's agenda.
Merz got off to a good start with Trump last year, but their relationship cooled after Merz said this year that Iran was "humiliating" the US and criticized Washington for entering the war without a strategy.
Today, when asked about his relationship with Trump, Merz said that he "experienced this G7 summit as very constructive and truly carried by a common spirit, and at no point was there any personal upset."
The German Chancellor said that the outcome of the summit shows that G7 support for Ukraine is "stronger than ever before," which is a clear signal to Moscow that all G7 members will increase pressure on Russia, including sanctions.
"It sets a new tone, including transatlantic unity and determination," Merc said, adding that it could be a "decisive step" towards peace talks.
Merz reiterated Berlin's intention to perhaps have a military mission in the Strait of Hormuz if a ceasefire is reached, but said there were "a number of preconditions that have not yet been met, so there is no immediate rush."
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