Germany's Chancellor Merz says AI must be 'guided by human values'

German Chancellor Friedrich Merz has called for the development of artificial intelligence to be consistently guided by human values.

Speaking at government's Digital Summit in Berlin on Monday, Merz emphasized that people and their dignity must remain at the heart of political efforts to manage rapid technological progress.

While institutions often appear slow to react, he said, this is not a sign of an inability to act, but rather an expression of a deliberate process in which human needs and fundamental social constants set the pace.

Under the summit's motto - 'Shaping AI: safe, sovereign, competitive' - Merz called for greater digital sovereignty for Germany and Europe.

He announced a two-pronged strategy involving, in the short term, the development of industrially viable AI models to safeguard the competitiveness of businesses. At the same time, research into AI models of the future - for example, in the field of physical AI - would be driven forward.

Merz stressed the importance of international cooperation, for example with France and Canada, to share knowledge and diversify supply chains. He also highlighted the enormous economic potential for Germany as a business location, particularly in mechanical engineering and the electronics industry.

Merz emphasized the social dimension of the debate. Drawing on a quote from Pope Leo XIV, he warned against uncritically entrusting AI systems with too much responsibility.

He stressed that it is a shared responsibility of politics, business and society to set the rules for digital transformation themselves and to safeguard the technological foundations of freedom.