The heads of several major AI firms urged the United Nations Security Council (UNSC) for global oversight of the AI industry to mitigate potential risks. Dario Amodei, CEO of Anthropic, expressed concerns about AI posing risks to humanity if not managed properly. Sam Altman, CEO of OpenAI, echoed these sentiments, warning that humanity could lose control over AI's future.
The meeting coincided with the UN General Assembly (UNGA) in New York City, convened by France, amid increasing warnings from experts about the need for human oversight in AI development. Altman emphasized the importance of democratic processes in AI decision-making, stating that significant decisions should not be made solely by labs in San Francisco.
Several representatives, including the foreign ministers of France and the United Kingdom, supported the call for international frameworks to regulate AI technology. Clement Delangue, CEO of Hugging Face, shared his company's reliance on AI for defense against attacks, highlighting the urgency for safety measures in the industry.
In the United States, the Trump administration has been hesitant to impose new regulations on AI. Michael Kratsios, the U.S. representative at the UNSC meeting, rejected efforts for centralized control of AI by international bodies.
Chinese President Xi Jinping is expected to address AI regulation during his upcoming visit to Washington, DC, amid a technological race between the U.S. and China. Daniel Forti, head of UN Affairs at the International Crisis Group, noted a growing recognition of AI's potential dangers, emphasizing the need for international cooperation in establishing AI rules.
The UN has been involved in multilateral meetings to address various aspects of AI, including worker protections and military use. In 2024, the UNGA passed a resolution urging member states to protect personal data and monitor AI risks. UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres stated that the future of AI should not be determined by a few countries or billionaires.
Yoshua Bengio, co-chair of the Independent International Scientific Panel on AI, warned the UNSC about the imminent dangers posed by AI, stating that it represents an unprecedented threat that cannot be contained by any single nation.