UN Chief Calls for Human Oversight of AI; US Opposes 'Global Governance'

United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has called for human control over artificial intelligence, a move the United States opposes, branding it as "global governance" of AI.

Guterres, speaking at an AI conference in New Delhi, said the UN General Assembly had approved the appointment of 40 members to a group called the "Independent Scientific Team on Artificial Intelligence."

The UN chief urged that "human control of artificial intelligence must be a technological reality, not just a slogan." He added that this "requires clear accountability, so that responsibility is never entrusted to an algorithm," stressing that science-based governance does not hinder progress, but makes it safer, fairer and more widespread.

The United States has rejected any global governance of AI. White House technology advisor Michael Kratsios stated that the administration opposes subjecting AI to "bureaucracy and centralized control." He cautioned that overemphasizing speculative risks and issues of justice and climate could become a pretext for authoritarian purposes, impede competitiveness, and isolate developing countries from participating in this economy.

Washington stressed the need to replace fear with "hope," arguing that over-regulation could eliminate a promising sector with major transformative capabilities. The U.S. stance comes as the UN prepares to publish its first governance report in July.

Guterres announced the advisory committee in August. It aims to be a reference in the field of AI, similar to the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change in the field of global warming.

The committee, which includes experts such as Yoshua Bengio and Maria Ressa, aims to be a scientific reference to help governments develop rules to address the risks of misinformation and job losses, while reducing "hype and fear" and replacing them with facts.