The United States joined more than 80 countries in signing the New Delhi Declaration on AI Impact, signaling a global shift toward voluntary safety measures and accelerated innovation.
Unveiled during the India AI Impact Summit in New Delhi this past weekend, the United States signed the non-binding declaration alongside the European Union, United Kingdom, China, Iran, and Russia.
The declaration centers on “Seven Pillars of Action,” which aim to form “the foundation of global AI cooperation,” according to the declaration’s text. Those pillars include: Democratizing AI resources; economic growth and social good; secure and trusted AI; AI for science; access for social empowerment; human capital development; and resilient, efficient, and innovative AI systems.
The New Delhi Declaration builds on prior summits but reflects a notable evolution in tone and priorities. The first gathering in 2023 in the United Kingdom produced the Bletchley Declaration, which had 28 signatories and focused heavily on AI safety and equitable access.
By contrast, the New Delhi document stresses “the importance of security in AI systems, industry-led voluntary measures, and the adoption of technical solutions, and appropriate policy frameworks that enable innovation while promoting the public interest throughout the AI’s lifecycle,” according to the declaration text.
That framing aligns with positions advanced by the Trump administration. White House Office of Science and Technology Policy Director Michael Kratsios said during summit remarks that he favors sector-by-sector regulatory approaches, arguing that “with smart updates to existing frameworks to reflect new technological realities, use-case and sector-specific regulation best allows adoption.”
Kratsios pointed to remarks delivered at last year’s summit in Paris, where Vice President J.D. Vance “sought to refocus the AI conversation … from safety to opportunity.”
Notably, the United States did not sign last year’s declaration.
The New Delhi Declaration also pointed to sustainable AI innovation. The declaration acknowledges the “growing demands of AI on energy, infrastructure, and natural resources” and emphasizes the importance of developing energy-efficient AI systems.
The issue has drawn increasing attention domestically. The Energy Department warned in July that without action, U.S. power grids will be unable to support the growing demands of AI data centers across the nation.
Workforce development is another core theme. The declaration calls for expanding AI human resource development, including education initiatives, workforce training, training of public officials, enhanced public awareness, AI literacy efforts, and modernization of vocational and training ecosystems.
Open-source AI also received global attention. The declaration noted that the “wide-scale adoption of AI and AI-based applications hold unprecedented potential,” and that open-source AI could “contribute to scalability, replicability, and adaptability of AI systems across sectors.”