António Guterres – UN Secretary General at First AI Impact Summit in the Global South sends clear message that ‘Real Impact’ means technology that improves lives and protects the planet. Let’s build AI for everyone with dignity as the default setting. UN Chief thanks Prime Minister Narendra Modi for facilitating this first AI Summit that all discussions made in India will be the basis for Global Dialogue in July in Geneva.
Last year, the UN General Assembly took two decisive steps:
- creating an Independent International Scientific Panel on AI.
- launching a Global Dialogue on AI Governance – within the United Nations, where all countries, together with the private sector, academia and civil society can have a voice.
UN Chief elaborated milestone achieved so far:
- First, the Panel has now been appointed consists of 40 leading experts from across regions and disciplines embody a clear message: AI must belong to everyone. Therefore, it is a must to replace hype and fear with shared evidence and to close knowledge gaps. On top, we need guardrails that preserve human agency, human oversight and human accountability. He also urged Member States, industry and civil society to contribute to the Panel’s work.
- Second, first session of the dialogue in Geneva in July. It will give every country, and every stakeholder, a voice to align efforts, uphold human rights, to prevent misuse, and to advance on common safety measures – the foundation for interoperability that builds trust across borders – for regulators and businesses – and turns compatibility into opportunity.
UN Chief expressed his relief that Member States have responded to his call to form a Global Network for Exchange and Cooperation on AI Capacity Building in the developing world that AI to benefit everyone, to advance Sustainable Development Goals, accelerate breakthroughs in medicine, expand learning opportunities, strengthen food security, bolster climate action and disaster preparedness, and improve access to vital public services. As AI’s energy and water demands soar, data centers and supply chains must switch to clean power and not shift costs to vulnerable communities. To invest in workers so AI augments human potential and not replaces it. AI must be safe for everyone. It is to protect people from exploitation, manipulation, and abuse; including not to deepen inequality, amplify bias, and fuel harm; importantly that no child should be a test subject for unregulated AI.
To end the speech, UN Chief calls the delegation’s attention to the fact that the future of AI cannot be decided by a handful of countries or left to the whims of a few billionaires. It is a reality that to ensure many countries are involved, it needs money. Without investment, many countries will be logged out of the AI age. Encouraged by the General Assembly of the United Nations, UN Chief calls for a Global Fund on AI to build basic capacity in developing countries for skills, data, affordable computing power, and inclusive ecosystems. The target is 3 billion US dollars. That’s less than one per cent of the annual revenue of a single tech company. A small price for AI diffusion that benefits all.
Related Link:
PM Modi participates in the India AI Impact Summit at Bharat Mandapam | @Narendra Modi
Secretary-General’s remarks at the AI Impact Summit Opening Ceremony
“AI must belong to everyone” – UN Chief at AI Impact Summit | United Nations
One with all the tech leaders at the India AI Impact Summit 2026 | @NarendraModi
