Artificial intelligence will take centre stage at the United Nations General Assembly this week, as world leaders seek agreement on safeguards for a technology increasingly viewed as a threat to global security and stability.
The gathering in New York will take place against a backdrop of war in the Middle East, Russia’s continuing invasion of Ukraine, rising energy prices, strained alliances and warnings from scientists that artificial intelligence could imperil humanity.
António Guterres, who will step down as UN secretary-general at the end of December after two terms, has described the current situation as one of the most dangerous the world has faced.
“It would be hard to imagine a scenario as threatening as the one we’re facing right now,” he said.
Mr Guterres will host an event urging countries to develop international rules for artificial intelligence. The UN Security Council will also hold a session on the technology, while governments and industry leaders are expected to debate how it should be governed.
But the push for common safeguards is likely to meet resistance. The United States, China and Russia have indicated that they oppose external rules governing their own development of artificial intelligence. Donald Trump has recently dismissed such efforts as a “sick conspiracy”.
Mr Guterres has warned that countries cannot “afford a race to the bottom on A.I. safety”. He said the world needed “guardrails to build trust, and that make A.I. safe, transparent, accountable, with human dignity at the center”.
Wars and a search for new UN leadership
The war involving the United States, Israel and Iran, and its impact on oil supplies and the global economy, will be among the main issues discussed. Ukraine’s president, Volodymyr Zelensky, is expected to urge leaders not to lose sight of his country’s conflict.
However, the Security Council has been repeatedly paralysed by divisions between its five permanent members — the United States, Russia, China, France and Britain. Its permanent members have blocked action over the wars in Ukraine, Gaza and Iran while holding stakes in the conflicts.
“There is clearly a vacuum here in terms of dealing with these growing number of wars we have and other crises,” said Robert A. Wood, a former US ambassador to the UN.
He said the next secretary-general would need experience, extensive diplomatic contacts and the ability to manage relations between major powers while responding to international crises.
Seven candidates are seeking to become the UN’s next leader after Michelle Bachelet, the former Chilean president and former UN human rights chief, withdrew. Diplomats said no clear front-runner had emerged because the Security Council had yet to reach agreement.
Mr Guterres is due to deliver his final address to the General Assembly on Tuesday. He is expected to call for the defence of international law, the protection of human rights, investment in sustainable development and renewed efforts to secure peace.
He has identified artificial intelligence, the climate crisis and widening inequality as three existential threats, saying international co-operation was more necessary than ever.
Pressure on an organisation in crisis
The UN has chosen “Restoring Trust, Managing Transformations: A United Nations That Delivers for All” as the theme for this year’s gathering.
The organisation has faced questions over its relevance, severe funding cuts from the Trump administration and pressure to streamline its operations. In January, it said it faced imminent financial collapse and could run out of money by the summer if member states failed to pay their dues.
The United States paid 725 million dollars towards the regular budget and 102 million dollars for peacekeeping last week, but still owes 1.3 billion dollars in annual contributions, according to UN spokesman Farhan Haq.
Fears that Mr Trump might withdraw the United States from the organisation altogether have not materialised. Analysts say the UN remains in crisis, but that Washington is still engaged while seeking to reshape the institution around the administration’s priorities.
Richard Gowan, a UN expert at the International Crisis Group, said the organisation was “still standing” and remained more active than during some of its darkest periods in the Cold War.
But he added: “Every single year it’s a little bit less relevant; it’s a little bit more under restraint.”
Mr Trump is due to address the General Assembly on Tuesday morning. Last year, he told other countries: “Your countries are going to hell.” This time, he will speak as the world faces the consequences of his tariffs, his criticism of allies and the instability caused by the war with Iran.
Several prominent leaders will be absent, including China’s Xi Jinping, who is travelling to Washington to meet Mr Trump on Thursday. India’s prime minister, Narendra Modi, and South Africa’s president, Cyril Ramaphosa, will also not attend.
Talks on a possible two-state solution for Israel and the Palestinians are expected to attract less attention than in previous years. France, Britain, Canada and Saudi Arabia will host a session on the issue on the sidelines of the Assembly on Thursday.
Despite its global consequences, the conflict in Iran and the wider Persian Gulf will not appear on the Security Council’s public agenda this week. Gulf Arab countries are expected to hold private discussions with council members and Mr Trump alongside the main gathering.
