Guterres Calls for AI Curbs as Trump Dismisses Fears

UN Secretary-General António Guterres warned world leaders on Wednesday that the risks posed by rapidly advancing artificial intelligence cannot be ignored, putting him at odds with President Donald Trump, who has argued that existing US safeguards are sufficient.

Ahead of next week’s UN General Assembly in New York, Guterres said stronger oversight would be a major focus of his talks with world leaders. He described protecting citizens from the threats posed by AI as a fundamental responsibility of governments.

Concerns about the potential dangers of the technology are growing. Anthropic researcher Jacob Coxon said last week that he resigned in part because people developing AI seriously believe it could kill everyone by the end of the decade. Leaders of some of the industry’s largest companies have also called for slowing the pace of AI development.

Trump said the US already has safeguards in place to regulate and prosecute AI companies, playing down concerns raised by industry leaders. He has also argued that China would benefit from doubts about AI development.

Guterres called on countries with the greatest capacity to develop AI to establish mechanisms for contact and information sharing, as well as common safeguards, to prevent a “race to the bottom” that he warned could eventually lead to a global catastrophe.

(Reuters, bak)