ADDIS-ABABA, July 7 – United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres has called for globally coordinated rules to govern artificial intelligence, warning that the technology is advancing much faster than governments and regulators can keep up with.
Speaking at the first government-level U.N. Global Dialogue on AI Governance in Geneva, Guterres said AI is already reshaping economies, changing the nature of work, influencing elections and affecting global security, yet safeguards have not kept pace with its rapid development.
He said innovation must be backed by clear rules, stressing that AI should be governed if it is to be used responsibly. The two-day meeting is focused on discussing global approaches to reducing AI-related risks while making the most of its benefits. Delegates are also reviewing findings from the first independent global scientific assessment of AI, prepared by a U.N.-backed panel of 40 experts, with a more detailed report expected next year.
Guterres also urged governments and technology companies to prioritise children’s safety. He proposed an AI Child Safety Pledge that would require companies to prove their systems are safe before making them available to children, adding that AI systems should not generate sexual images of children and should connect distressed children with human support instead of continuing conversations.
The U.N. chief also raised concerns over the concentration of advanced AI development in a small number of countries and companies. According to the independent report, the United States accounts for 75% of the computing power used by the world’s top 500 AI supercomputers, while China holds 15%.
Meanwhile, Libya’s Presidential Council head, Mohamed al-Menfi, called for greater African participation in shaping global AI rules, noting that although Africa is home to about 10% of the world’s population, it has fewer than 2% of global data centres.
