The European Commission will keep seeking an international agreement on AI security despite U.S. opposition, EU tech chief Henna Virkkunen said Tuesday at the RAID Conference in Brussels. Washington has publicly opposed international AI regulation, she said, over concerns that it could hinder innovation. The Commission will keep promoting international agreements while enforcing the EU’s own rules.
“The U.S. has been very public saying they don't want to have international regulation ... because they have concerns that it's hindering innovation,” Virkkunen said in response to questions by POLITICO. Her remarks laid out the divide between the U.S. position and the EU’s support for international cooperation on AI safety and security.
Different approaches to AI rules
U.S. President Donald Trump has brushed away concerns about AI existential risks as a “hoax” and declared his opposition to global regulations. The EU, by contrast, supports an initiative announced last week to create an international safety body that would monitor AI. Finland and Norway led the initiative, signed by 20 other countries.
Virkkunen said regulation and innovation need not conflict. “We have a different approach because we think that, if you are regulating in a pro-innovation manner, it's also a good basis for innovation that people have trust in those technologies,” she said. She praised the EU’s landmark 2024 AI Act as a strong regulatory basis for addressing challenges posed by AI bots.
The Commission plans to pursue international agreements and enforce its rules. Virkkunen said the EU would promote AI safety and security internationally, and called for greater cooperation among national AI safety organizations in the meantime.
Security concerns and international cooperation
Calls to slow technological development and strengthen international governance have grown amid reports of AI agents going rogue. On Tuesday, OpenAI reportedly said it wouldn't release its latest model because of safety concerns. Rival Anthropic will note AI’s “risk to humanity” in its upcoming IPO documents.
“This summer, we have seen AI agents act in a ways we maybe never thought possible,” Virkkunen said. “Agents escaping their environment, agents inserting malicious code and agents using deception on humans.” She pointed to those examples as part of the security concerns behind calls for international rules.
The Finnish-born European Commissioner said discussions already take place in international forums such as the G7. She said “people have serious security concerns, because there are no international rules about the safety and security.” The absence of international rules, she said, remains a concern as governments and organizations debate how to regulate AI.
“The European Union will continue to promote this internationally. We should have agreements about the safety and security of AI. At the same time, we continue to enforce our rules,” Virkkunen said. The article was published on Sept. 29, 2026.