UN Panel Urges Immediate AI Safeguards Amid Growing Risks

<figure> <img alt="" src="https://platform.theverge.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/09/gettyimages-2234546269.jpg?quality=90&amp;strip=all&amp;crop=0,0,100,100" /> <figcaption> The United Nations logo at the UN headquarters in New York. | Getty Images </figcaption> </figure> <p class="wp-block-paragraph">The United Nations scientific panel has stated that governments need to regulate increasingly capable AI agents before their associated risks are fully understood. This warning comes in the UN's first major assessment of OpenAI's hack of Hugging Face earlier this year.</p> <p class="wp-block-paragraph">The <a href="https://www.un.org/independent-international-scientific-panel-ai/en/thematic-briefs/ai-agents-misalignment-risks">report</a> highlights the importance of AI on the global diplomatic agenda as leaders convene in New York for the UN General Assembly, coinciding with US-China discussions on AI. Last week, UN Secretary-General António Guterres <a href="https://apnews.com/article/un-ai-safety-companies-global-coordination-guterres-6ae720a081ce4d5ede35837ca35b8460">called</a> for international cooperation to address the threats posed by AI, emphasizing that "the world cannot afford a race to the bottom on AI safety."</p> <p class="wp-block-paragraph">This report marks the first thematic brief from the panel.</p> <p><a href="https://www.theverge.com/ai-artificial-intelligence/998090/un-ai-panel-hugging-face-hack-precautionary-principle">Read the full story at The Verge.</a></p>