UN chief Guterres urges global AI regulation, child‑safety pact

At the opening of the first United Nations Global Dialogue on Artificial Intelligence Governance in Geneva on 6 July 2026, Secretary‑General António Guterres warned that AI is advancing faster than governments can regulate it and called for coordinated worldwide rules. He highlighted three priority areas: security standards to protect children from harmful AI content, zero tolerance for AI‑generated sexual abuse of minors, and safeguards against deepfakes and autonomous weapons. Guterres announced an “AI Child‑Safety Pact” requiring firms to prove their systems are safe for children, to block illegal content, and to route at‑risk users to human help.

The dialogue, attended by delegations from more than 190 UN members—including El Salvador, Estonia, Algeria, India and others—also discussed the environmental impact of data centres, urging a shift to renewable energy by 2030. Guterres introduced a proposal for a Global AI Fund to build computing capacity, data, and expertise in developing nations, and reiterated the need for transparency on AI’s carbon and water footprints. The meeting follows the release of the first independent scientific report on AI, which warned of the technology’s speed, concentration of power in a few firms and countries, and the erosion of truth.

The UN aims to complement existing regional and national AI initiatives with an international framework that ensures safety, human oversight, equitable access and accountability across the entire AI lifecycle.