This article is published in association with United Nations.
Thefuture of Artificial Intelligence “cannot be decided by a handful of countries or left to the whims of a few billionaires,” the UN Secretary-General told the AI Impact Summit in New Delhi on Friday, calling for a Global Fund to help developing nations to better access these technologies.
António Guterres highlighted the need to build skills, data capacity, affordable computing power and inclusive ecosystems.
He expressed concern that without investment many countries will be “logged out” of the AI age.
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“Our target is $3 billion,” he said. “That’s less than one per cent of the annual revenue of a single tech company.”
He called this “a small price for AI diffusion that benefits all – including the businesses building AI.”
UN initiatives
Mr. Guterres emphasized the efforts the UN is doing to ensure AI development is properly governed, especially the creation of the Independent International Scientific Panel on AI at last year’s General Assembly.
The panel of 40 world leading experts – appointed last week – seeks to share evidence and close knowledge gaps by analysing AI risks, opportunities, and societal impacts.
“AI must belong to everyone,” the Secretary-General said in relation to the panel.
He urged Member States, industry and civil society to contribute to its work.
Guardrails needed to protect people and plane
Mr. Guterres also emphasized the launch of the Global Dialogue on AI Governance and its inaugural session in July. “We need guardrails that preserve human agency, human oversight and human accountability,” he said.
“Done right, AI can advance Sustainable Development Goals. It can accelerate breakthroughs in medicine, expand learning opportunities, strengthen food security, bolster climate action and disaster preparedness, and improve access to vital public services,” he said.
The Secretary-General also shared concerns over negative outcomes if AI growth is unregulated, saying “it can also deepen inequality, amplify bias, and fuel harm.”
As AI’s energy and water demands soar, data centres and supply chains must also switch to clean power and not shift costs to vulnerable communities.
“We must invest in workers so AI augments human potential – not replaces it,” he said.
Regarding safety, he stressed that people must be protected from exploitation, manipulation, and abuse.
“No child should be a test subject for unregulated AI,” he said.
“Real impact means technology that improves lives and protects the planet. So let’s build AI for everyone – with dignity as the default setting.”
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