Question map
Consider the following statements regarding AI Action Summit held in Grand Palais, Paris in February 2025 : I. Co-chaired with India, the event builds on the advances made at the Bletchley Park Summit held in 2023 and the Seoul Summit held in 2024. II. Along with other countries, US and UK also signed the declaration on inclusive and sustainable AI. Which of the statements given above is/are correct?
Explanation
The correct answer is option A because only Statement I is correct.
The AI Action Summit was co-chaired by India's Prime Minister along with President Macron[1], and it built on advances made at the Bletchley Park Summit in November 2023 and the Seoul Summit in May 2024[2]. Therefore, Statement I is accurate.
However, Statement II is incorrect. At the summit, 58 countries, including France, China, and India, signed the joint declaration on Inclusive and Sustainable Artificial Intelligence for People and the Planet[3]. Notably, the US and UK were not among the signatories of this declaration, making Statement II false.
Since only Statement I is correct, option A is the right answer for UPSC aspirants to select.
Sources- [1] https://origin-20250508-mea.nic.in/outoging-visit-detail.htm?39026/Transcript+of+Special+briefing+by+MEA+on+Prime+Ministers+visit+to+France+February+11+2025
- [2] https://onu.delegfrance.org/ai-action-summit-10-and-11-february-2025
- [3] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/AI_Action_Summit
PROVENANCE & STUDY PATTERN
Full viewThis is a classic 'Headline vs. Fine Print' question. Statement I is the celebratory headline (India co-chairing), while Statement II is the critical geopolitical detail (the dissenters). In summit questions, the 'who refused to sign' is often more important than 'who attended'.
This question can be broken into the following sub-statements. Tap a statement sentence to jump into its detailed analysis.
- Statement 1: Was the AI Action Summit held at the Grand Palais in Paris in February 2025 co-chaired with India?
- Statement 2: Did the AI Action Summit held at the Grand Palais in Paris in February 2025 build on advances made at the Bletchley Park Summit held in 2023?
- Statement 3: Did the AI Action Summit held at the Grand Palais in Paris in February 2025 build on advances made at the Seoul Summit held in 2024?
- Statement 4: Which countries signed the declaration on inclusive and sustainable AI at the AI Action Summit held at the Grand Palais in Paris in February 2025?
- Explicitly states the Prime Minister co-chaired the AI Action Summit alongside President Macron.
- Direct evidence that India (through its Prime Minister) co-chaired the Paris summit.
- Confirms the summit's dates (10–11 February 2025) and that it was held at the Grand Palais in Paris.
- Provides a clear factual record tying the event to the Grand Palais venue in February 2025.
- States the AI Action Summit was to be held on 10 and 11 February 2025 at the Grand Palais.
- Supports the timing and venue information for the Paris summit.
Shows that major international summits (COP26 example) can be hosted by one country 'in partnership' with another, indicating formal shared hosting/co-hosting arrangements are a documented pattern.
A student could use this pattern to check whether the AI Action Summit had an announced host/co-host (e.g., France in partnership with India) via press releases or official summit pages.
Shows summits can be convened or hosted by an international office/person (UN Secretary‑General hosting a Climate Action Summit), illustrating that different hosting/co‑chairing models exist beyond single-country hosts.
Use this to consider non-country co‑chairing possibilities (e.g., an international organisation or UN office alongside India) and then check summit organisers for such listings.
Describes India's historical role as a co‑founder and active leader in major multilateral summits (Bandung, NAM), showing India has precedent for high-profile summit leadership.
A student could treat India as a plausible co‑chair candidate for a major summit and then seek official Indian government announcements or French host statements to confirm.
Gives an example of a large international summit (Rio Earth Summit) tied to a specific city/venue, reinforcing that summit location information is routinely recorded and published.
Suggests checking venue‑level records (Grand Palais event calendars, Paris municipal announcements) or summit program documents to confirm co‑chair details for the February 2025 event.
Another concrete example (Bali Summit) showing summits produce formal outcome documents and plans, implying organiser lists (hosts/co‑chairs) are typically documented in summit materials.
Encourages looking up the AI Action Summit official outcomes/programme where host/co‑chair names would normally appear to verify whether India was named co‑chair.
- Directly states the Paris event 'builds on the advances made at the Bletchley Park Summit in November 2023'.
- Specifies the Paris summit context (co-chaired with India, drawing on a steering committee), linking it as a follow-up to Bletchley Park.
- Confirms the Paris AI Action Summit took place in February 2025 at the Grand Palais in Paris.
- Links the timing/location of the summit in Paris (Feb 10 start) to the event referenced in the question.
Describes a UN 'Climate Action Summit' convened to boost ambition and accelerate actions tied to an existing international agreement — showing summits are used to advance prior commitments.
A student could check whether the Paris AI Action Summit referenced or timed itself relative to Bletchley Park outputs (e.g., pledged timelines or follow‑up actions) to infer continuity.
Explains that COP26 aimed to finalize the Paris rulebook because unresolved items from COP25 were pushed forward — an example of later summits building on and continuing work from earlier ones.
Use this pattern to look for language in Paris 2025 materials showing it intended to finalize or advance items left by Bletchley Park 2023.
Shows the 1992 Earth Summit produced concrete, long‑term outputs (Agenda 21, conventions) illustrating how summit outcomes can create lasting advances.
A student could search Paris 2025 documents for references to specific Bletchley Park agreements becoming formalized or institutionalized.
Lists concrete outcomes and legally binding agreements emerging from a summit, reinforcing that summits often translate earlier progress into formal instruments.
Apply this rule by checking whether the AI Action Summit produced formal agreements or built institutional mechanisms that trace back to Bletchley Park recommendations.
Notes that summit leaders signed declarations and adopted action plans, another pattern where later meetings codify shared commitments.
A student could compare the text of any Paris 2025 declaration to Bletchley Park communiqués for overlapping commitments or language indicating succession.
- Explicitly states the Paris event 'builds on the advances made' at the Seoul Summit (May 2024).
- Links Paris summit objectives to previous international gatherings, showing continuity of effort.
- Directly says the Paris AI Action Summit 'builds on' the smaller gathering in Seoul, South Korea.
- Places Seoul as a prior step alongside the 2023 UK summit, indicating Paris continued that trajectory.
- Describes concrete outcomes of the Seoul Summit (Seoul Declaration, proposed network of AI Safety Institutes) that Paris could build upon.
- Notes Seoul's international commitments, which align with Paris's stated objectives for cooperation and safety.
Describes a pattern where a high‑level 'Action Summit' (UNSG's Climate Action Summit) was timed one year before countries updated pledges — implying summits are used strategically to accelerate follow‑on commitments.
A student could use this pattern to check whether the Paris AI Action Summit was scheduled to follow Seoul 2024 to accelerate commitments or policy updates arising from Seoul.
Explains that COP meetings can carry unresolved issues forward (COP25 → COP26) and that later summits aim to finalize or build on earlier outcomes.
Apply this rule by comparing Seoul 2024 outputs (e.g., communiqués, workstreams) with Paris 2025 agenda or final statements to see if Paris addressed Seoul's unresolved items.
Shows that major summits (Earth Summit) produce concrete action plans (Agenda 21), indicating summits often generate frameworks later summits implement or build upon.
Use this example to look for an 'action plan' or framework from Seoul 2024 and test whether Paris 2025 references or operationalizes it.
Lists thematic, policy‑oriented issues addressed at summits (energy, transport, pollution), illustrating that summits tackle specific technical topics that subsequent meetings can advance.
A student could identify which technical AI topics Seoul covered and see if Paris's sessions or commitments advanced those specific topics.
Provides a historical pattern of recurring world summits (Earth Summit 1992, World Summit 2002), suggesting an iterative summit model where later events build on prior ones.
From this iterative model, check whether Paris 2025 explicitly references Seoul 2024 as part of a continuing summit sequence on AI governance.
Major international summits (example: 1992 Earth Summit) are attended by scores of nations (178 here) and produce outcome documents and declarations.
A student could infer that the Paris AI Action Summit similarly might have produced a declaration signed by a sizable set of countries and therefore should check the summit's official list of signatories.
This snippet shows heads of state at global summits formally 'signed the Declaration' (Rio Declaration / Declaration on Global Climatic Change), illustrating the practice of collective signing at high‑level conferences.
Apply this pattern to expect an explicit signed list for the AI declaration and consult press releases or the organiser's communique to identify signatories.
The excerpt emphasizes large participation (leaders of ~100 nations, many delegates and journalists) at environment summits, indicating such events draw a broad cross‑section of countries and public documentation.
Use this to justify searching widely (official summit website, attendee lists, contemporaneous media coverage) for which countries signed the AI declaration.
This snippet summarises that countries routinely make global agreements (Montreal, Kyoto, Paris), establishing a precedent that multilateral treaties/declarations are publicly documented and traceable.
A student could therefore look up standard treaty/declaration repositories or major news outlets for the published list of signatory countries to the 2025 AI declaration.
- [THE VERDICT]: Current Affairs Trap (Moderate). Covered in The Hindu/IE Explainer sections post-summit. Statement II is the trap.
- [THE CONCEPTUAL TRIGGER]: Global Governance of Emerging Tech (AI Diplomacy).
- [THE HORIZONTAL EXPANSION]: Memorize the lineage: Bletchley Park (UK, 2023, 'Safety') → Seoul (Korea, 2024, 'Innovation/Inclusion') → Paris (France, 2025, 'Action'). Know the 'Bletchley Declaration' signatories vs. the Paris 'Public Interest' statement dissenters (US/UK).
- [THE STRATEGIC METACOGNITION]: When studying summits, apply the 'Consensus Check': Did the major powers (US, China, EU) agree? If the text mentions 'Inclusive/Sustainable' frameworks involving regulation, check if the US (home of Big Tech) opted out due to IP/regulatory concerns.
Different summit types (environmental, regional, political) have distinct purposes and organizational formats that determine hosting and chairing arrangements.
High-yield for UPSC because questions often ask about summit objectives, outcomes and institutional follow-ups (for example, Agenda 21 or Bali Action Plan). Mastering this helps connect diplomatic practice to policy results and identify which body or country would plausibly chair a summit.
- Indian Economy, Nitin Singhania .(ed 2nd 2021-22) > Chapter 21: Sustainable Development and Climate Change > CHAPTER SUMMARY > p. 606
- Environment and Ecology, Majid Hussain (Access publishing 3rd ed.) > Chapter 5: Biodiversity and Legislations > Earth SummIt. > p. 5
- NCERT. (2022). Contemporary India II: Textbook in Geography for Class X (Revised ed.). NCERT. > Chapter 1: The Rise of Nationalism in Europe > Rio de Janeiro Earth Summit, 1992 > p. 4
India has co-founded, hosted and played leading roles in major multilateral initiatives, making knowledge of those roles useful when assessing claims about India co-chairing events.
Important for UPSC as it links India's foreign policy practice to exam topics on Non-Aligned Movement, regional groupings and diplomatic leadership; mastering this aids answers on India's multilateral influence and hosting responsibilities.
- Politics in India since Independence, Textbook in political science for Class XII (NCERT 2025 ed.) > Chapter 4: Indi External Relations > Afro-Asian unity > p. 58
- Rajiv Ahir. A Brief History of Modern India (2019 ed.). SPECTRUM. > Chapter 39: After Nehru... > India's Man in Space > p. 715
- Geography of India ,Majid Husain, (McGrawHill 9th ed.) > Chapter 16: India–Political Aspects > GEOPOLITICS OF SOUTH ASIA > p. 60
Climate and UN summits demonstrate formal hosting partnerships and defined outcome instruments, illustrating how summit organization and co-chairing are structured.
Useful for questions on global governance and environmental diplomacy; understanding these mechanisms helps analyze who can chair or co-chair, what commitments result, and institutional follow-ups across COPs and action summits.
- Environment, Shankar IAS Acedemy .(ed 10th) > Chapter 24: Climate Change Organizations > 2019 > p. 323
- Environment, Shankar IAS Acedemy .(ed 10th) > Chapter 24: Climate Change Organizations > 2021 > p. 324
- Environment and Ecology, Majid Hussain (Access publishing 3rd ed.) > Chapter 5: Biodiversity and Legislations > BalI SummIt. > p. 8
Major global summits often conclude with collective action plans or declarations that set agendas for future policy and cooperation.
High-yield for UPSC because many questions ask about the nature and significance of summit outcomes (e.g., Agenda 21). Understanding that summits generate agreed frameworks helps link international relations, environmental policy, and implementation mechanisms.
- Environment and Ecology, Majid Hussain (Access publishing 3rd ed.) > Chapter 5: Biodiversity and Legislations > Earth SummIt. > p. 5
- Indian Economy, Nitin Singhania .(ed 2nd 2021-22) > Chapter 21: Sustainable Development and Climate Change > THE EARTH SUMMIT > p. 597
- NCERT. (2022). Contemporary India II: Textbook in Geography for Class X (Revised ed.). NCERT. > Chapter 1: The Rise of Nationalism in Europe > Rio de Janeiro Earth Summit, 1992 > p. 4
Global conferences can produce legally binding treaties or non-binding political accords and action plans, which differ in legal force and implementation pathways.
Important for distinguishing types of international commitments in exam answers (e.g., treaty obligations versus political agreements). This concept connects to diplomacy, international law, and policy follow-through, and helps analyze effectiveness of global forums.
- Environment and Ecology, Majid Hussain (Access publishing 3rd ed.) > Chapter 5: Biodiversity and Legislations > coPEnhagEn SummIt. > p. 8
- Indian Economy, Nitin Singhania .(ed 2nd 2021-22) > Chapter 21: Sustainable Development and Climate Change > CHAPTER SUMMARY > p. 606
Specialized summits and COP meetings are used to boost ambition and accelerate implementation of global agreements and to finalize detailed rules.
Exam-relevant because it explains the functional role of different global meetings (UNSG-hosted summits, COPs) in pushing forward agreements like the Paris process. Mastery aids in answering questions on multilateral processes, governance, and policy timelines.
- Environment, Shankar IAS Acedemy .(ed 10th) > Chapter 24: Climate Change Organizations > 2019 > p. 323
- Environment, Shankar IAS Acedemy .(ed 10th) > Chapter 24: Climate Change Organizations > 2021 > p. 324
The Earth Summit produced Agenda 21 as a comprehensive action plan for sustainable development and was a turning point in global summit outcomes.
High-yield for UPSC because questions frequently probe landmark global conferences and their concrete outputs; links to international environmental governance, sustainable development policy, and follow-up mechanisms. Mastery helps answer questions on summit legacies and global policy frameworks.
- Environment and Ecology, Majid Hussain (Access publishing 3rd ed.) > Chapter 5: Biodiversity and Legislations > Earth SummIt. > p. 5
- NCERT. (2022). Contemporary India II: Textbook in Geography for Class X (Revised ed.). NCERT. > Chapter 1: The Rise of Nationalism in Europe > Rio de Janeiro Earth Summit, 1992 > p. 4
The 'International Network of AI Safety Institutes' was a key outcome initiated in Seoul and solidified in Paris. The next logical question is: Did India formally join this network, or did it stick to its 'Digital Public Infrastructure (DPI)' alliance approach?
Use the 'Regulatory Friction' heuristic. France (EU) typically pushes for strict, binding regulation or 'public good' definitions. The US (protecting Silicon Valley) rarely signs binding 'inclusive/sustainable' declarations that might compromise IP rights. If a statement says the US signed a French-led 'inclusive' AI pact, be highly skeptical.
Mains GS-2 (IR) & GS-3 (Tech): Contrast the 'EU Model' (Regulation-heavy, Paris Summit) vs. the 'US Model' (Innovation-first, private sector led). The refusal of US/UK to sign the Paris declaration highlights the clash between 'AI as a Global Public Good' and 'AI as Intellectual Property'.