UN Secretary-General António Guterres warned that artificial intelligence poses risks comparable to nuclear weapons and demands urgent international cooperation. Twenty-two countries, including Australia, Canada, and Germany, called for mandatory safety testing, independent evaluations, and a UN-style international organization to oversee AI development, while the US emphasized protecting its technological advantage over China.
UN Secretary-General António Guterres warned that the world faces four critical tests—war and peace, inequality, climate change, and AI—that will determine whether humanity moves toward cooperation or deeper division. He called for binding international cooperation on AI governance, Security Council reform including African permanent representation, and addressed ongoing conflicts in Gaza, Ukraine, Sudan and Myanmar. The UN has achieved full gender parity in senior leadership for the first time.