United Nations Secretary General Antonio Guterres (Photo: UN)
United Nations (UN) Secretary-General António Guterres has called for the creation of a Global Fund for Artificial Intelligence (AI) to help developing countries access the technology, warning that unequal access could deepen existing economic and social inequalities.
Speaking at the opening ceremony of the World Artificial Intelligence Conference in Shanghai on Friday, Guterres said governments and technology companies must work together to ensure AI benefits all countries rather than becoming a force that concentrates power among a small number of nations and firms.
Guterres added that he would soon present recommendations for a Global Fund for AI and urged governments to support efforts aimed at expanding access to computing power, technical expertise and investment in developing countries.
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“Technology that will shape the future of humanity must be shaped by all of humanity,” he said, stressing that every nation should have a role in shaping the technology’s future.
According to Guterres, more than 20 countries, including China, had already nominated centres for a UN-supported Global Network for Exchange and Cooperation on AI Capacity Building, an initiative aimed at helping countries develop expertise and share knowledge on artificial intelligence.
He, however, warned that many developing countries risk being left behind as AI advances, with computing power, technical skills, and investment still concentrated in a small number of countries and companies.
“One-third of humanity is still offline,” Guterres said, warning that these disparities could allow AI to widen gaps in income, opportunity and security.
AI, Guterres went on, has enormous potential to accelerate medical breakthroughs, transform education, strengthen food systems and support progress towards the Sustainable Development Goals.
However, he stressed that safeguards were needed to ensure the technology develops responsibly, calling for international safety standards and common approaches to testing and managing AI risks.
“Human rights must be protected. Humans must keep control over every life-and-death decision,” Guterres said.
He also urged major AI companies to disclose the environmental impact of their systems and transition towards renewable energy use by 2030, saying governments should include clean energy plans for AI development in national strategies.
“The defining question is whether that transformation will reduce inequalities or reinforce them. Whether it will concentrate power or expand opportunity,” Guterres said.
