UN chief urges global AI cooperation saying world can't afford 'a race to the bottom on AI safety'

UN Secretary-General António Guterres called on global AI competitors to cooperate on safety, telling U.N. reporters that "the world cannot afford a race to the bottom on AI safety" and that "global coordination is also indispensable." Guterres backed a proposal from Anthropic CEO Dario Amodei to coordinate a slowdown in AI development among leading technology companies and governments, while OpenAI's Sam Altman, SpaceXAI's Elon Musk and Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg staked out differing positions and President Donald Trump this week called threats that AI might destroy humanity "a HOAX." Guterres said AI will be a major topic at next week's U.N. General Assembly high-level session, following the General Assembly's 2025 creation of the first global scientific body on AI, whose 40-member panel warned in a July preliminary report of risks including harm to users' mental health and use as a destructive tool.

UNITED NATIONS AP — The United Nations chief urged global competitors in artificial intelligence on Wednesday to cooperate in addressing threats from the technology, warning that "the world cannot afford a race to the bottom on AI safety." Secretary-General António Guterres said concerns raised by those on the frontlines of AI technology that its development "is racing ahead of our understanding of the risks" can't be ignored. Governments must assume their first responsibility to protect civilians from AI threats, which means "national action is essential," Guterres told U.N. reporters. "But global coordination is also indispensable." "We need guardrails to build trust — and that make AI safe, transparent, accountable, with human dignity at the center." Guterres was referring to a proposal from Dario Amodei, CEO of Anthropic, to ensure AI safety by coordinating a slowdown in its development by leading technology companies and governments. OpenAI's Sam Altman, SpaceXAI's Elon Musk and other prominent industry leaders have said in recent days that AI's development needs to slow down https://apnews.com/article/artificial-intelligence-threats-humanity-anthropic-openai-98316b0d64de17191f33c0fbf1d37858 . But Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg distanced the company https://apnews.com/article/ai-zuckerberg-meta-slowdown-2f4eab05b1e931456d00ebc2fe93c989 Wednesday, saying every AI company has to ensure its technology is safe. There are other obstacles to a coordinated effort on AI, including domestic and global competition https://www.google.com/goto?url=CAESkAEB6zswFQJNjCyYYCzq9b3wS9Ss350IuWFy 2S48WwyLrVupG3iIFeb3pDpCYDRqUQfY9gY4lbG6XB1xkJ0Rds5Ky9KYrp6p1c-O4TYclTk3QNClzEAT2tgPxJt-E2sGCRNF6tN9JRvnkibFK1-v4Z9y8sDSGx0Irn- XrpWgDRbgtcK4XBtpeACLJwPDjysFs , especially from China, and profit motivations https://www.google.com/goto?url=CAESqgEB6zswFVhqcUuPZqyx3BG1ZOwovp0q8E2SvIfuf2tQliXPnjV1ThiWW5-AjGu7GSIADO8 QpKFAtNYXPrjP0qQjZmh1CnLGI-RGu3A6arVicBYxcWZ0XwM30k6F3EvrJrbpCKhm15kUTBjsCu2u2UYTD7ixcY7-XmTR3L6 Qtc lsaspvOtDKL63-v Hyn8nzIPXvKz3ilhhvvaVR3ho8eWNu9evlbW1bvbg . And there has been pushback from President Donald Trump, https://www.google.com/goto?url=CAESlAEB6zswFXTQn25HEdUaziXv8Ah97T2zJhTkc4PuxhB7AcS1YX3-A0FLwnXJJZTYHX17FdgZtiJ2LAc6EB1edcXGZCnnArn-RuIA7VSKUQiuz4ZYE8yG0LOvVta5hYgShWiw5uXqlfqjzLMtQOPPqDc9D6JVgRtOCnmiCzQQ4rHMBVB0LdlTlJEaRlGD-Zl5ctIydS7O who this week called threats that AI might destroy humanity "a HOAX" and claimed efforts to limit the technology are part of a "SICK conspiracy." Guterres has praised the enormous potential of AI, including to accelerate economic development and education and to strengthen health systems. But he has also warned of the "existential" threat of "runaway artificial intelligence." He said AI will be a major topic in his discussions with world leaders at their annual gathering next week for the high-level session of the U.N. General Assembly. "The United Nations will continue to explore practical ideas and approaches in the immediate days ahead," Guterres said. "We need a shared understanding of how to advance the safe, secure and responsible development of AI — while identifying when increasingly powerful systems may require stronger safeguards, or additional measures to manage potential risks." At Guterres' behest, the General Assembly established the first global scientific body on AI in 2025. In its preliminary report in July, the 40-member panel warned that the rapid, unchecked use of AI at scale risks harm to the mental health of users, "potential use as a destructive tool, impacts on social, economic and environmental systems, and challenges associated with controlling the technology."