Today's Edition
NEW YORK (WAM)
UN Secretary-General, António Guterres, called for international cooperation to harness the potential of artificial intelligence (AI), warning that without proper safeguards, AI could worsen global inequalities.
Speaking at a workshop on AI and capacity-building in Shanghai, China, Guterres emphasised the need to address disparities in AI development, particularly in developing nations.
"The risks posed by AI are equally uneven. Without adequate guardrails, AI could further exacerbate inequalities and digital divides and disproportionately affect the most vulnerable," he said.
"We must seize this historic opportunity to lay the foundations for inclusive governance of AI — for the benefit of all humanity," he added.
Guterres also noted AI's potential to accelerate progress on nearly 80 percent of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), but warned that access to AI technology is concentrated in a few countries and companies, leaving many nations struggling to keep pace.
He continued, "To truly harness AI's potential, we need international cooperation — and solidarity. And we must urgently bridge the AI gap for developing countries."
"As we build AI capacity, we must also develop shared knowledge and digital public goods. This can be achieved through networks where expertise and AI training data are pooled and made available to everyone who needs them."
Guterres noted that governments are currently negotiating a Global Digital Compact to be adopted this month — at the United Nations Summit of the Future in New York, noting that it includes new proposals on AI governance and capacity-building.
"My High-level Advisory Body on AI will also issue its final report this month, with a series of recommendations, including creating an AI Capacity Development Network that will connect AI centres and provide expertise and training data, especially for developing countries; establishing a Global Fund on AI for the SGDs; and developing a Global Data Framework, so that local AI ecosystems can flourish," he concluded.
