According to a September 16, 2026 post, French finance minister Roland Lescure suggested that calls to slow AI development were a ploy by U.S. labs to stay in first place. He urged France and Europe to ignore those calls and accelerate instead. On September 18, the same account said Mistral agreed and quoted its statement: “Some incumbents are using this moment to consolidate their market position, pushing for regulation designed to favour them over competitors.”