Key facts
- UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres called for global oversight of AI risks in his final address to the General Assembly.
- Guterres urged world leaders to advance conditions for responsible AI pacing and establish a multilateral AI risk management framework.
- The UN chief demanded that "polluters must pay" for climate change.
- He called for de-escalation and dialogue in the Middle East, stating that "The fighting must stop."
- Guterres noted that global institutions "continue to reflect the power realities and interests of a largely bygone age."
- US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent proposed a new AI safety notification mechanism for US President Donald Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping.
United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, in his final address to the General Assembly on Tuesday, urged world leaders to regulate artificial intelligence, end ongoing wars, and prioritize climate change action. Guterres, whose second term ends December 31, highlighted the strain on global institutions and called for their reform.
He emphasized the need for international cooperation on AI safety, advocating for common safeguards and a multilateral risk management framework. This comes as the UN Security Council prepares to host AI leaders for a briefing. The US Treasury Secretary, Scott Bessent, revealed that Washington proposed a new AI safety notification mechanism for consideration by US President Donald Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping at their upcoming summit.
Guterres also addressed the conflict in the Middle East, calling for de-escalation and dialogue, and reiterated his stance that "polluters must pay" for climate change. He reflected on his decade-long tenure, during which he sought to position the UN as a mediator and a forum for governing emerging technologies, despite major powers increasingly bypassing the organization and funding cuts from the US.