Portrait of António Guterres
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António Guterres on Artificial Intelligence

Advocate for science-led AI governance (strong)

TL;DR

António Guterres strongly advocates for science-led, globally shared understanding of AI to ensure human benefit and mitigate risks.

Key Points

  • He convened the Independent International Scientific Panel on AI in early 2026 to provide trusted, evidence-based assessments on the technology's impacts.

  • He insists that policy governing AI must be built on trusted facts and science, not ideology or guesswork, especially as innovation outpaces governance.

  • The Secretary-General calls for meaningful human oversight in every high-stakes decision to ensure clear accountability and prevent outsourcing responsibility to algorithms.

Summary

António Guterres views Artificial Intelligence as a rapidly advancing technology reshaping economies and societies, necessitating urgent global understanding grounded in science rather than ideology. He convened the Independent International Scientific Panel on AI, comprising 40 experts, to provide credible, unbiased scientific assessments to help decision-makers build effective guardrails and unlock innovation for the common good. The Secretary-General is acutely aware of the acceleration, stating that the world will never again move as slowly as it is now, emphasizing that this scientific foundation is critical amid rising geopolitical tensions.

He contends that AI must serve humanity, addressing the dual nature of the technology which promises immense benefits while posing risks like disinformation, bias, and exacerbating global divides. The Secretary-General stresses that policy must be as smart as the technology, demanding meaningful human oversight in high-stakes decisions like justice and healthcare, and clear accountability to prevent algorithms from inheriting responsibility. His push for science-led governance is framed not as a brake on progress but as an accelerator for safer, fairer, and more widely shared solutions, aiming to prevent fragmentation caused by incompatible national policies.

Frequently Asked Questions

António Guterres's core stance is that Artificial Intelligence governance must be guided by science and facts to ensure it benefits all of humanity. He strongly supports the creation of global, independent mechanisms to provide this scientific grounding.

He has established the Independent International Scientific Panel on AI, composed of 40 experts, to provide a shared baseline of analysis amid the technology's rapid advancement. He noted that the pace of AI development means the world is in a high level of acceleration.

He emphasizes that AI will shape peace, security, human rights, and sustainable development for decades to come, requiring shared understanding to prevent fear, division, and the widening of divides. He also demands clear human accountability over algorithmic decisions.