UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres warned world leaders on Wednesday (Sep 16) that rapidly advancing artificial intelligence poses risks that cannot be ignored, putting him at odds with US President Donald Trump who has argued existing safeguards are sufficient.

Speaking ahead of next week's UN General Assembly gathering in New York, Guterres told reporters the need for stronger oversight would be a major focus of his talks with global leaders coming to the city.

"We cannot afford to ignore concerns that have been raised, especially by those on the front lines of the development of AI," said Guterres. "It’s the first responsibility of any government to protect its citizens – including from the threats of artificial intelligence."

Public alarm about the potential danger posed by AI is growing, after Anthropic researcher Jacob Coxon said last week he had resigned, in part because "people building AI earnestly believe that it could kill us all by the end of the decade." Leaders of some of the industry's largest companies called for slowing the pace of the technology's development.

Trump said on Monday ​that the US already has guardrails in place to regulate and prosecute AI companies, playing down concerns expressed by industry leaders.

Guterres has long pushed for global governance of AI. In 2023, the UN created a 39-member advisory body on AI, with members including tech company executives, government officials and academics from countries such as the US, Russia and Japan.

The UN Security Council may also meet next week on AI during the annual gathering of world leaders in New York, diplomats said. The 15-member council met for the first time on artificial intelligence in 2023.

Guterres said the countries with the greatest capacity at the frontiers of AI "should establish mechanisms of contact, of exchange of information and some common guardrails in order to avoid this race to the bottom that could lead one day to a gigantic disaster at the global level."

Trump has said that China would benefit from the doubt being cast on AI development.

He is ​scheduled to meet Chinese President Xi Jinping next week in Washington. Reuters previously reported that the two countries were planning a separate meeting in mid-September ⁠to discuss the risks of AI, led by lower-level government officials.

"We need a shared understanding of how to advance the safe, secure and responsible development of AI – while identifying when increasingly powerful systems may require stronger safeguards, or additional measures to manage potential risks," Guterres said on Wednesday.

Source: Reuters

-Agencies