Explanation

The AI Action Summit was held at the Grand Palais, Paris in February 2025, initiated by French President Emmanuel Macron. It was the third in a series of global AI summits, focusing on AI governance, innovation, and leveraging AI for the public interest while mitigating its risks.

Statement I is correct. The summit was co-chaired by India and France, represented by Prime Minister Narendra Modi and President Emmanuel Macron respectively. It built upon the progress made at the Bletchley Park AI Safety Summit (2023) in the UK — which focused on existential risks posed by AI and resulted in the Bletchley Declaration signed by 25 nations including the US and China — and the Seoul AI Summit (2024), where 16 leading AI companies made voluntary commitments to develop AI transparently.

Statement II is incorrect. At the Paris summit, 58 countries — including India, China, France, Brazil, and Australia — signed the joint “Declaration on Inclusive and Sustainable Artificial Intelligence for People and the Planet.” However, the United States and the United Kingdom did not sign this declaration. Both countries chose instead to issue their own separate national statements emphasising AI safety and innovation priorities.

UPSC Insight
Statement II is the trap — it is easy to assume that major powers like the US and UK would sign a global AI declaration. UPSC tests current affairs precisely at these details. Remember: US and UK did not sign the Paris AI declaration, even though they participated in the summit.