Guterres Welcomes Finland and Norway’s Initiative to Regulate AI
United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has welcomed the initiative by Finland and Norway to place frontier AI under international standards and oversight. This initiative urges member states to explore the possibility of establishing an international organization if standards, certification, and capability limits in AI are exceeded. Guterres emphasized that global cooperation and protections based on human rights are essential for the safe development, transparency, and accountability of AI.
October 6, New York (RASS/ANI) – Guterres praised the step taken by Finland and Norway to regulate the rapidly developing “frontier AI” models through international standards and monitoring. He stressed the need to strengthen international cooperation for the safe development and use of AI. The initiative, led by Finnish President Alexander Stubb and Norwegian Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Støre, calls on United Nations member states to reinforce existing international mechanisms and to set standards, certification, and address capability limits for AI. It urges exploration of forming an international body to bring countries together when those limits are crossed.
Welcoming the initiative via social media platform X, Secretary-General Guterres also expressed satisfaction at the release of the first thematic report by the UN’s independent international scientific panel on AI. He called on frontier AI labs, security institutions, and external experts to collaborate with the panel. The initiative underscores that AI must remain under human guidance, oversight, and control, and that its development and use should comply with international law.
While AI can significantly improve human lives, advance science, and strengthen economies, the initiative highlights that its rapid development without proper management poses major risks to safety and protection. It calls on AI-developing companies to conduct mandatory pre-deployment testing and independent evaluations, develop transparent safety systems, and provide qualified evaluators with necessary access for risk assessments. Governments and regional bodies are urged to develop shared standards, report serious safety incidents, and ensure all countries have access to scientific capabilities and reliable evaluations.
The initiative has garnered support from leaders of Australia, Canada, Germany, Ireland, the Netherlands, Singapore, Spain, South Africa, Turkey, among others, as well as Ursula von der Leyen, President of the European Commission. AI has been a key topic at the 81st UN General Assembly. On September 16, Secretary-General Guterres identified AI, climate crisis, and deepening inequalities as the three existential threats facing humanity. He noted that although AI holds great potential in health, education, and climate sectors, its development is outpacing the understanding of its human risks.
Guterres emphasized the responsibility of governments to protect their citizens from AI risks and stressed the necessity of worldwide cooperation. He underscored the importance of a regulatory framework that places human dignity at its core to ensure AI is safe, transparent, and accountable. The UN’s independent international scientific panel released its first thematic report on September 21, addressing AI agents, misalignment, and the risk of losing human control. The Secretary-General plans to deliver his final address at the General Assembly on Tuesday. His tenure as Secretary-General is concluding. The main theme of the 81st General Assembly is “Restoring Trust, Managing Transformation: United Nations Delivering for All.”