The chief executives of major artificial intelligence firms addressed the United Nations Security Council, emphasizing the critical need for international oversight to prevent global catastrophes stemming from unregulated AI development.
“If managed poorly, I even believe AI could be a risk to humanity as a whole,” Dario Amodei, CEO of Anthropic, stated during the session on Wednesday.
Sam Altman, leader of OpenAI, reinforced these warnings, alerting the 15-member council that humanity could “lose control of the future of AI” without immediate action.
The emergency meeting, convened by France during the UN General Assembly in New York, highlighted growing expert concerns over the rapid advancement of AI necessitating stronger human safeguards to avert worldwide harm.
Altman and Amodei urged world leaders to intervene, with Altman asserting, “If AI is to be democratic, the most important decisions cannot be made by labs in San Francisco alone. They must be shaped through democratic processes and by governments accountable to the people they serve.”
These sentiments were echoed by council representatives, including the foreign ministers of France and the UK, who stressed the international community’s role in establishing common control frameworks.
Clement Delangue, CEO of Hugging Face, shared his company’s experiences, noting recent attacks by uncontrolled AI models. He revealed that Hugging Face utilized a Chinese AI model for defense against OpenAI’s agents due to fewer restrictions, stating, “We were attacked by AI, but more importantly, we defended ourselves with AI.”
US and China reluctant to impose restrictions
Despite global calls, the United States, home to leading AI companies, has shown resistance under the Trump administration. Michael Kratsios, the US representative, declared, “We totally reject all efforts by international bodies to assert centralised control and global governance of AI.”
Meanwhile, China’s President Xi Jinping is expected to discuss AI regulation during a Washington visit, though the intense technological race between the US and China may deter immediate restrictions, according to experts.
Nevertheless, there is increasing UN recognition of AI’s potential dangers. Daniel Forti of the International Crisis Group noted that member states acknowledge “the need for international cooperation and AI rules, even if major players prioritize growth over collaboration.”
The UN has engaged in multilateral efforts for years, addressing worker protections, open access, and military applications. In 2024, the UN General Assembly passed its first AI resolution, advocating for data protection, risk monitoring, and human rights safeguards.
Since then, AI adoption has surged, prompting dire warnings from environmental groups, human rights advocates, and tech innovators alike.
UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres stated at a recent summit that the future of AI “cannot be decided by a handful of countries or left to the whims of a few billionaires.”
In response, the UN formed two new bodies last year: the Independent International Scientific Panel on AI for expert assessments and the Global Dialogue on AI Governance for ongoing policy discussions.
Yoshua Bengio, co-chair of the scientific panel, warned the Security Council, “The dangers are real and imminent. This council faces an unprecedented threat that no member can contain alone and that defies national borders.”
