Full Breakdown
AI CEOs Call on UN to Regulate Fast-Expanding Technology Amid Global Tensions
By Drooid · · How we work
AI Leaders Urge UN Action on Emerging Risks
On Wednesday, the chief executives of Anthropic and OpenAI testified before the United Nations Security Council, warning that unchecked artificial-intelligence development could become a “risk to humanity” and that “we could lose control of the future to AI.” They urged the council to adopt safeguards, prevent concentration of power in any single firm or nation, and establish standards for testing, verification and misuse.
Background and Emerging Concerns
The hearing followed a week in which U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres warned of “killer robots,” and experts described the threat as “real” rather than speculative. A Russian-operated drone that reportedly made an autonomous targeting decision and killed three Ukrainians was cited as evidence that lethal autonomous weapons are already being fielded. Scholars and nonprofit leaders highlighted the need to determine who authorizes machines to select targets and who bears responsibility for the outcomes.
Official Statements & Responses
British Foreign Secretary Ed Miliband said the United Kingdom will place AI control at the center of next year’s G20 agenda, seeking a single set of global standards. Liberian UN Ambassador Lewis G. Brown II cautioned that today’s hesitation could become tomorrow’s catastrophe. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy stressed the urgency of human oversight, warning that AI could soon decide battlefield outcomes.
The United States, represented by White House Science Adviser Michael Kratsios, rejected calls for a pause or new global governance, emphasizing the desire to “share in the benefits” of AI with allies. Chinese UN Ambassador Fu Cong warned against a “us-vs-them” approach and promoted open-source models, arguing that all nations should be free to choose their AI pathways.
Criticism and Opposition to Regulation
U.S. officials framed regulation as a potential impediment to competitiveness in the AI race with China. China’s stance similarly opposed any framework that might constrain its development, favoring openness over coordinated standards. Both positions reflect broader geopolitical jockeying over AI dominance.
Verbatim Quotes
- “If managed poorly, I even believe AI could be a risk to humanity as a whole,” — Dario Amodei, chief executive officer of Anthropic
- “We could lose control of the future to AI.” — Both
- “Just as with the atom back then, the international community must now regulate AI in order to make the most of its potential and avoid the worst,” — Noël Barrot, french foreign minister
- “We must not allow the cost of today’s hesitation to become tomorrow’s catastrophe,” — Liberian UN Ambassador Lewis
- “There is already a real possibility that AI, not only people, will begin to decide what happens on the battlefield. And we need peace before we reach that point,” — Volodymyr Zelenskyy, ukrainian president president