UN General Assembly debate spotlights power, trust and inclusion in global AI rules
Member states including Switzerland, Japan, Saudi Arabia and Singapore debated who shapes AI governance as Guterres warned of accountability gaps.
Summary
UN News reviewed key speeches from the General Debate held during High-Level Week at UN headquarters in New York and found that artificial intelligence both united and divided countries. Delegations largely agreed that AI offers real benefits, but split over the risks, over who should write the rules, and over how to keep nations from falling behind.
On balancing innovation with safeguards, General Assembly President Khalilur Rahman said progress should not be blocked but that guardrails should rest on science rather than fear, and he named job losses and digital divides as harms. Switzerland urged regulation that builds trust without stifling benefits, Japan stressed cooperation on frontier AI safety, while Singapore supported testing, building trust and reporting incidents across borders. Secretary-General António Guterres described the danger as technology without accountability.
On who writes the rules, South Africa said Africa needs a hand in drafting them, and India argued for each nation's right to build its own models. Singapore floated eventually creating a UN convention on AI plus a specialised international institution. Brazil pointed to the influence of big tech, France to dependence on dominant states or a few firms, and developing countries asked for more computing power, expertise and a voice in standards. Security worries surfaced too: France cited defence, cybersecurity and space, and Singapore raised autonomous weapons.
On oversight, Russia favoured UN-centred rulemaking, Türkiye pushed for a UN convention, and the UK sought global principles and said AI will feature when it holds the G20 presidency. Guterres proposed stronger safeguards, independent oversight and a new risk-management architecture. The United States offered a counterpoint, with President Donald Trump saying he would not stifle growth in a technology he expects to be bigger than the Industrial Revolution.