Story perspectives

Guterres Calls for Multilateral AI Safeguards, Oversight Framework

By Drooid · Sep 22, 2026, 11:35 PM UTC · How we work

Summary

Story summary

U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres called for a multilateral AI risk-management framework during his final General Assembly address.
He urged common AI safeguards and independent oversight, citing the 2023 39-member advisory panel.
President Donald Trump said the U.S. leads China in AI, rejected safety standards, and suggested “super intelligence.”
The U.S. contributed $725 million to retain its UN vote while Xi Jinping, Vladimir Putin and Narendra Modi were absent.

History

Historical Context

In 1995 the Internet became fully privatized and the UN declared a Year for Tolerance, prompting the first UN-sponsored Internet Governance Forum in 2005. Tim Berners-Lee’s 2009 launch of the World Wide Web Foundation and the 2019 Contract for the Web showed how multistakeholder oversight can shape digital policy. Guterres’s 2024 call for an AI risk-management framework echoes those earlier governance experiments.

1 of 2

Story summary

U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres called for a multilateral AI risk-management framework during his final General Assembly address.
He urged common AI safeguards and independent oversight, citing the 2023 39-member advisory panel.
President Donald Trump said the U.S. leads China in AI, rejected safety standards, and suggested “super intelligence.”
The U.S. contributed $725 million to retain its UN vote while Xi Jinping, Vladimir Putin and Narendra Modi were absent.

1 / 2