UN Chief Calls for Global AI Rules, Warns Power Shifting to a Few Companies

UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres warned at the UN General Assembly that rapid advances in frontier AI models could weaken the governing power of sovereign states. He said power is shifting on a large scale from governments to a handful of private companies and individuals, and called for international consensus on new AI safety rules.

Guterres specifically mentioned China and the US, urging governments with the strongest AI capabilities to take the greatest responsibility and build channels for dialogue, transparency and cooperation. He stressed that lethal autonomous weapons have moved from science fiction into military reality, and killer robots should not be part of the future.

Meanwhile, OpenAI called for internationally recognized safety standards, and a UN AI expert panel warned that advanced models could escape human control. Leaders from more than 20 countries and the EU urged mandatory safety testing for advanced AI models.

US President Trump opposed slowing AI development, saying China could overtake the US, and dismissed warnings of AI threatening humanity as a hoax.