Guterres' Final United Nations General Assembly Address: "AI Development Pace Must Be Responsibly Managed"

【Financial News, New York = Lee Byung-chul, Correspondent】 António Guterres, UN Secretary-General, urged the international community to responsibly manage the pace of Artificial Intelligence (AI) development and establish a global AI risk-management framework in his final United Nations General Assembly address of his term. His call came as debate over slowing the development of advanced AI has spread within the AI industry. Guterres also called for an end to the war in the Middle East, stronger action on climate change, and reforms to international organizations, including the UN.
In his address to the high-level general debate of the 81st United Nations General Assembly at United Nations Headquarters in New York on the 22nd (local time), Guterres said, "Countries leading the technological revolution must share information about emerging safety risks and cooperate on testing and evaluation." He added, "We must establish shared safeguards to protect us all."
In particular, he urged countries to create the conditions for 'responsible pacing of AI.' This means establishing safeguards and oversight systems in step with the pace of technological progress, rather than simply halting AI development. Guterres said, "We must establish a multilateral AI risk-management framework backed by reliable and independent oversight."
Guterres has made the establishment of global AI governance a key priority. In 2023, the UN launched an AI advisory body comprising 39 members, including technology company executives, government officials, and academic experts. That same year, the United Nations Security Council (UNSC) addressed AI risks as an official agenda item for the first time.
On the Middle East, Guterres called for "de-escalation and dialogue." He said, "The fighting must stop and humanitarian assistance must be provided," adding, "The right and freedom of navigation must also be fully restored in accordance with international law." His remarks came as the growing influence of Ansar Allah (Houthis) along the Red Sea coast threatens shipping routes and tensions continue in the Strait of Hormuz.
He also acknowledged the need to reform the UN itself. As the United States has sharply reduced its financial support for the UN and President Trump has criticized the organization's inefficiency, Guterres said, "Our mechanisms for collective action are under increasingly serious pressure." He added that current international organizations "continue to reflect the power realities and interests of an era that has largely passed."
Guterres, whose second five-year term ends on December 31, concluded the address as a de facto farewell speech. 

[email protected] Lee Byung-chul, Correspondent Reporter