Guterres urges coordinated global action on AI regulation

UN Secretary-General António Guterres has called on countries to work together on regulating artificial intelligence, warning that the world cannot afford a cutthroat competition in AI safety.

Speaking ahead of the UN General Assembly's annual high-level week in New York, Guterres said AI governance requires genuine international cooperation and coordinated global action. He said he would discuss AI risks with world leaders and address safety boundaries for AI in his remarks to the assembly.

Guterres stressed that AI does not stop at borders, and that stricter safety measures are needed to address potential dangers. Earlier in 2026, he launched an independent international scientific panel on AI. In July 2026, at the first UN global dialogue on AI governance in Geneva, he called for broad and comprehensive global regulation of AI, saying that humanity may be the last generation able to set conditions for human-machine coexistence.