OpenAI's CEO will address the Security Council during the UN General Assembly's high-level week, as the US pushes its own vision of AI oversight while blocking multilateral alternatives.
The United Nations Security Council is preparing to hold an open meeting on artificial intelligence and international security during the UN General Assembly’s high-level week, scheduled for September 21-27, 2026. OpenAI CEO Sam Altman will brief members in person on global safety measures, the benefits of AI, and the case for international coordination and shared standards.
The US position: lead the conversation, block the alternatives #
The US voted against establishing a 40-member Independent International Scientific Panel on AI, which was approved by a vote of 117-2 in February 2026.
The rationale, broadly stated, is that the US sees centralized AI governance as potentially overreaching and vulnerable to authoritarian influence. Instead, Washington has advocated for innovation-led approaches coordinated among allied nations.
This isn’t the first time the Security Council has taken up AI. The UNSC held an open briefing on AI implications back in July 2023. That session was also a US-led initiative, followed by another in December 2024.
Guterres pushes for guardrails #
UN Secretary-General António Guterres has urged a coordinated global approach to AI governance and linked it to the need for Security Council reform itself. His argument centers on the growing risks posed by unregulated AI, from disinformation campaigns to autonomous weapons systems. The UN has launched several parallel initiatives, including a Global Dialogue on AI Governance.
AI, tech, and the markets they move—in one daily briefing.
Daily. Free. Join 34,000+ readers across crypto, finance, and policy.
The Independent International Scientific Panel on AI moved forward despite US objections, which puts Washington in an awkward position. It can shape the Security Council conversation, but it’s losing influence over the broader multilateral process it chose not to join.
What Altman brings to the room #
Altman’s briefing is expected to cover global safety measures, the benefits AI can deliver, and the necessity for international coordination and shared standards.
The Security Council operates on the basis of great power consensus, with five permanent members holding veto authority. Any substantive resolution on AI governance would need to clear that bar.
The broader stakes #
The meeting arrives at a moment when AI governance is fragmenting along geopolitical lines. The US prefers bilateral and allied-nation frameworks. The EU has moved ahead with its own regulatory approach. China has implemented its own set of AI rules. And the Global South, represented in part by the 117 nations that voted for the scientific panel, wants a seat at the table that the current power structure doesn’t always provide.
Disclosure: This article was edited by Editorial Team. For more information on how we create and review content, see our