UN chief warns artificial intelligence outpaces global regulation

United Nations experts warned that the rapid development of artificial intelligence is surpassing scientific understanding and existing governmental frameworks, creating a risk of catastrophic global harm. The UN’s Independent Scientific Panel, co‑chaired by AI pioneer Yoshua Bengio and journalist Maria Ressa, highlighted that AI systems are becoming increasingly autonomous, capable of complex real‑world tasks, and that their capabilities double roughly every four to seven months.

Secretary‑General António Guterres urged governments not to wait, calling for immediate international cooperation and shared rules to manage the technology’s potential misuse, including financial fraud, sophisticated cyber‑attacks, and the creation of dangerous biological threats. He announced plans for a new international commission to provide updated assessments and guide urgent policy decisions, stressing that current regulatory mechanisms cannot keep pace with AI’s growth.

The panel also warned of structural asymmetries, as investment in computational infrastructure concentrates in a few companies and countries, and of the difficulty in ensuring safety when AI tools are built on limited data. It called for robust evidence‑based regulation to prevent loss of control over advanced autonomous systems.