UN chief urges global action to ensure AI benefits humanity

United Nations Secretary General Antonio Guterres has called for stronger international cooperation to regulate artificial intelligence.

United Nations Secretary General Antonio Guterres has called for stronger international cooperation to regulate artificial intelligence, warning that the technology is advancing faster than governments can manage. Speaking at the first Global Dialogue on AI Governance in Geneva, he said the world must act now to ensure AI serves humanity instead of creating risks that are difficult to control in the future.

Addressing representatives from governments, technology companies, universities and civil society groups, Guterres said artificial intelligence is already changing the way people live and work. He warned that society is moving into a new era without clear rules or proper oversight. According to him, AI is no longer simply carrying out instructions from humans. It is increasingly able to write computer code, perform tasks online and make decisions with much less human supervision than before.

He said governments and public institutions were created to regulate machines that follow human commands, not systems capable of making independent decisions. As AI continues to become more advanced, he believes countries must work together to establish a global system that keeps the technology safe, transparent and accountable.

Guterres also raised concerns about the growing spread of false information through AI tools. He said it has become harder to distinguish between what is real and what is fabricated. At the same time, many people are relying too heavily on AI to complete important tasks without questioning the accuracy of the results. Referring to the growing trend of asking AI systems to generate computer code instead of writing it manually, he acknowledged that the technology can be useful. However, he stressed that humanity cannot rely on AI alone to shape the future or determine what is true.

Another issue highlighted by the UN chief was the concentration of AI technology in the hands of a small number of companies and countries. He warned that many developing nations have little influence over decisions that will affect their future despite the global impact of artificial intelligence. He said the international community now faces a choice between creating effective rules for AI or allowing its development to continue without proper direction.

While warning about the risks, Guterres also recognised the enormous opportunities AI can provide. He said the technology has the potential to speed up development, improve healthcare, expand access to education and create new solutions for global challenges. However, he stressed that these benefits must be shared fairly and developed with respect for human rights and public safety.

Special attention, he said, should be given to protecting children. Guterres proposed an AI Child Safety Pledge that would require companies to prove their systems are safe before they are made available to young users. He also called for strict measures to prevent online sexual abuse and suggested that AI platforms should connect children showing signs of emotional distress with real human support instead of leaving them to interact only with technology. He said children should never become test subjects for unregulated AI systems.

The UN chief also urged greater investment in AI development across poorer countries to prevent today’s digital divide from becoming an even wider gap in artificial intelligence. He announced plans to encourage the UN General Assembly to establish a Global Fund for AI that would help countries improve technical skills, data resources and access to affordable computing power. He also called on technology companies to reduce the environmental impact of AI by revealing their carbon footprint and powering all data centres with renewable energy by 2030.

Guterres said his greatest concern remains the use of artificial intelligence in warfare. He strongly opposed autonomous weapons capable of selecting and attacking targets without direct human control, describing such systems as morally unacceptable. He urged governments to ban these weapons through international law and warned that time is running out to create the safeguards needed to ensure AI develops in a way that protects humanity rather than threatens it.