Big Tech goes on AI charm offensive in Europe as regulators circle

PARIS, France — U.S. technology giants this week have talked up the benefits of artificial intelligence for humanity, turning on the charm at one of Europe's largest industry events as regulators globally work to curb the harms associated with the tech. 

At the Viva Tech conference in Paris on Wednesday, Amazon Chief Technology Officer Werner Vogels and Google Senior Vice President for Technology and Society James Manyika spoke about the great potential AI is unlocking for economies and communities. 

It's worth noting that their comments come as the world's first major law governing AI, the EU's AI Act, was given the final greenlight. Regulators are looking to rein in harms and abuses of the technology, such as misinformation and copyright abuse. 

Meanwhile, European Commissioner Thierry Breton, a major architect of rules around Big Tech, is set to speak later in the week. 

Vogels, who is tasked with driving technology innovation within Amazon, said that AI can be used to "solve some of the world's hardest problems." 

He said that, while AI has the potential to make businesses of all stripes successfully, "at the same time we need responsibly to use some of this technology to solve some of the world's hardest problems."  

Vogels said that it was important to talk about "AI for now" — in other words, the ways that the technology can benefit populations around the world currently.

He mentioned examples of how AI is being used in Jakarta, Indonesia, to link small rice farm owners to financial services. AI could also be used to build up a more efficient supply chain for rice, which he termed "the most important staple of food," with 50% of the planet dependent on rice as their main food source. 

Manyika, who oversees efforts across