United Nations Secretary‑General António Guterres said the development of artificial intelligence (AI) is proceeding too rapidly for any single actor to keep pace, and he called for internationally coordinated regulation to reduce the technology's risks. Guterres made the remarks on Monday in Geneva while opening the first government‑level global conference on AI.
Guterres warned that AI can reshape economies and work, influence election outcomes, and affect the balance of security. He emphasized that the pace of development outstrips even the capabilities of AI developers themselves and argued that safeguards are essential to responsible innovation: "if AI is going to be this powerful, it must be governed."
He urged that humanity's choice should not be between blindly following new technology or fearing it, but between thoughtful, organized governance and ad hoc drift. When designing regulation, Guterres said priorities should include safety, respect for human rights, strengthening the capacities of developing countries, and transparency.
Protecting children received special attention. Guterres said AI must not be used to create sexualized images of children, and systems should be required to route a child in distress to real human assistance. He also warned that children can be easily misled by systems that present themselves as friends: "children must not be the experimental guinea pigs of an unregulated AI," he stated.
Among the risks he noted are the concentration of advanced AI capabilities in the hands of a few and the threat that AI‑generated content poses to the integrity of facts and information. At the same time, he acknowledged potential benefits of the technology, such as accelerating development, improving health care, and expanding access to education.
The Geneva meeting is a two‑day conference and, as its opening stated, is not intended to produce a binding agreement. Delegates will discuss how rules could be introduced to reduce AI harms and to harness its opportunities. They will review a report from a scientific body composed of 40 experts, which represents the first independent investigation into AI.
The push for a coordinated international approach aims to establish regulatory principles and mechanisms that protect safety and human rights while helping developing countries build capacity and operate AI systems with greater transparency.
Why this matters
The discussions in Geneva and the direction of international debate could shape the principles and mechanisms used to limit AI‑related risks while promoting its benefits. The emphasis of current deliberations is on child protection, transparency, and equitable capacity‑building as governments consider what forms regulation should take.
(Note: the cover image is illustrative.)
