EU’s von der Leyen backs AI slowdown, to invite frontier labs for talks
European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen speaks during her State of the European Union address (SOTEU) to the European Parliament, in Strasbourg, France, September 16, 2026. REUTERS/Yves Herman
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STRASBOURG, Sept 16 : European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen on Wednesday backed calls by leading U.S. AI labs for a pause in the development of the technology, saying she will invite the main frontier AI labs to discuss efforts to tackle the risks.
Von der Leyen’s comments in her annual speech to the European Parliament in Strasbourg came amid growing worries about the potential danger posed by artificial intelligence, putting her at odds with U.S. President Donald Trump who has dismissed the AI safety alarm.
The dangers were underscored by Anthropic researcher Jacob Coxon who resigned and accused both the company and OpenAI of racing toward self-improving superintelligence without acting responsibly. He had previously worked at OpenAI.
Anthropic CEO Dario Amodei last week called on AI companies to slow the rate at which they advance model capabilities, drawing the support of both Elon Musk, who runs xAI, and Sam Altman, CEO of OpenAI.
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“As the frontier models become more capable, these risks have come more sharply into focus. Models being developed will allow hacking on a level we never thought possible. And they will soon be in the hands of adversaries who see the world very differently from us,” von der Leyen told EU lawmakers.
She pointed to recent incidents of rogue AI agents and warnings from developers.
“CEOs of the most advanced companies tell us that it is time to slow down on the self-recursive models. To pace the frontier. If the people developing the technology are clear, then we should be too,” von der Leyen said.
Von der Leyen said landmark EU rules governing the use of AI adopted recently put Europe in the position to shape global efforts to tackle the risks.
She said Europe will work with like-minded partners such as Canada, the United Kingdom and others to take measures such as model evaluation, verification and AI security.
“I will invite the main frontier labs for a discussion on how we can support ongoing industry efforts to pace the frontier,” von der Leyen said.
She also proposed a social media ban for children under 13 and no personal accounts for people under the age of 15, saying that platforms have to prove that they are safe for children. She will announce details on Thursday.
Source: Reuters
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