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U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said Friday that he will soon present recommendations for a Global Fund for AI, urging governments to back the initiative as part of efforts to ensure developing countries are not left behind in the artificial intelligence era.
Speaking at the opening ceremony of the World Artificial Intelligence Conference in Shanghai, Guterres described AI as one of humanity's greatest opportunities in the 21st century, while noting it could also become one of the biggest risks facing the world.
He said the proposed fund would work alongside the U.N.-backed Global Network for Exchange and Cooperation on AI Capacity Building, aiming to turn existing international commitments into practical support for countries with limited access to AI infrastructure.
Guterres pointed to a wide gap in global access to computing power, technical expertise and investment, noting these resources remain concentrated in a small number of countries and companies.
He said roughly one-third of humanity remains offline, leaving large parts of the world at risk of missing out on AI-driven advances in healthcare, education, food systems and employment.
Without steps to close these gaps, Guterres warned that AI could deepen existing inequalities in income, opportunity and security rather than reduce them
He said the same technology capable of expanding access to services could just as easily widen the gap between countries with the resources to develop it and those that do not.
The U.N. chief said technology poised to shape humanity's future must itself be shaped by all of humanity, adding that AI cannot be governed by a handful of countries or companies, and that every nation needs a role in decisions about its development.
Guterres noted that the U.N. has expanded its work on AI governance following the adoption of the Global Digital Compact and the creation of the U.N. General Assembly-backed Independent International Scientific Panel on AI.
He said the next phase of that work should focus on delivering concrete, practical support to the countries that need it most, rather than remaining limited to broad commitments.
He outlined three priorities for global AI governance going forward: expanding AI capacity in developing countries, establishing international safety standards and improving the technology's environmental sustainability, an issue tied to the energy demands of AI data centers.
Guterres also addressed the use of AI by children, saying no AI system should be placed in a child's hands before its safety has been proven, and called for stronger safeguards as the technology becomes more widely available.
The World Artificial Intelligence Conference in Shanghai brings together government officials, technology companies and researchers from around the world to discuss the development, regulation and future direction of artificial intelligence.
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