UN Secretary-General Guterres Warns AI Outpacing Oversight at Opening of Global Dialogue on AI Governance in Geneva

U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres warned Monday that artificial intelligence is developing faster than anyone can keep up and called for globally harmonized rules to reduce potential risks, especially to children. Speaking at the opening of the first-ever government-level global dialogue on AI governance in Geneva, Guterres told delegates that a technology that can reshape economies, transform the world of work, sway elections and tilt the balance of security is being deployed faster than anyone, including the people building it, can keep up. The two-day meeting, convened under the auspices of the United Nations, seeks to advance international cooperation on AI governance. Guterres also urged greater accessibility for the billions of people unable to access the technology. UN reports noted that increasingly powerful AI chips designed for civilian use are shifting to the battlefield, where killer robots are already the norm.