United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres on Monday warned that artificial intelligence is advancing faster than governments and institutions can regulate it, calling for urgent global action as he opened the first government-level UN Global Dialogue on AI Governance in Geneva.
Addressing delegates, Guterres said: "A technology that can reshape economies, transform the world of work, sway elections and tilt the balance of security is being deployed faster than anyone, including the people building it, can keep up." He added that innovation "needs guardrails" and that if AI is to be powerful, "it must be governed."
The two-day dialogue, being held on July 6-7, brings together governments, technology companies, researchers and civil society groups to discuss ways to address the risks of AI while maximising its benefits. The meeting is not intended to produce a binding international treaty.
Focus on Child Safety
Guterres called on countries to adopt an AI Child Safety Pledge, warning that AI tools have already become part of children's education and social lives without sufficient assessment of their long-term impact.
UN General Assembly President Annalena Baerbock also raised concerns about deepfakes and online abuse, citing figures suggesting that most deepfake content circulating online is sexual in nature and disproportionately targets women and girls.
UN Report Highlights Risks
The discussions follow a recent report by the UN's Independent International Scientific Panel on Artificial Intelligence, which found that AI development is advancing faster than regulators and researchers can keep pace with. The panel warned that increasingly autonomous and deceptive AI systems could pose serious risks if left unchecked.
The report also said the complexity of tasks AI systems can perform is doubling every four to seven months. It noted that AI development remains heavily concentrated, with the United States accounting for about 75% of computing power among the world's top AI supercomputers and China holding roughly 15%.
Push for International Coordination
The conference comes amid growing calls for international cooperation on AI governance. A new AI for Good Global Commission, co-chaired by Paul Kagame and Marc Benioff, was launched this week to help guide global discussions on the responsible development of AI.
Closing his address, Guterres said: "Machines can inform, but humans must decide, and answer." He added that a second UN dialogue on AI governance is scheduled to take place in New York in May 2027.
