Published on: 2026-07-17
Source: United Nations – United Nations –
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July 17, 2026 Culture and Education
UN Secretary-General António Guterres on Friday called for making artificial intelligence a tool for universal development, rather than a source of new global divides. Speaking at the opening ceremony of the World Conference on Artificial Intelligence in Shanghai, and then at a special forum dedicated to early warning systems for climate threats, the UN chief emphasized that new technologies can save lives, but their benefits should be accessible to all countries.
At the opening of the conference, which was attended by Chinese President Xi Jinping, Guterres noted that artificial intelligence opens up enormous opportunities for humanity, but at the same time carries serious risks.
“The technology that will determine the future of humanity must be shaped by all of humanity. It cannot be controlled by just a small group of countries or companies,” said the Secretary-General.
The technology that will determine the future of humanity must be shaped by all of humanity
According to him, this is exactly the approach enshrined in the Global Digital Compact, adopted by the UN General Assembly with the support of China.
The UN chief warned that without international cooperation, artificial intelligence could only exacerbate existing inequalities. Today, one-third of the world’s population still lacks internet access, while computing power, data, and technical knowledge are concentrated in a limited number of countries and companies.
We cannot allow artificial intelligence to push the world toward even greater inequality
“We cannot allow artificial intelligence to push the world toward even greater inequality […], to a deeper divide in income, opportunities, and security between the North and the South,” he said.
Guterres reported that more than twenty countries, including China, have already responded to his proposal to create a UN-supported Global Network for Experience Sharing and Cooperation in Capacity Building in AI for developing countries. Moreover, he intends to soon present recommendations for the establishment of a Global Artificial Intelligence Fund.
The Secretary-General also outlined three key areas of international cooperation: building the capacity of developing countries, establishing unified international safety standards, and reducing the environmental impacts of artificial intelligence. He called on the largest companies to disclose the full environmental footprint of their systems and to transition data centers to renewable energy sources by 2030.
Photo of the UN in China Speech at the 2026 World Conference on Artificial Intelligence in Shanghai, China.
Later, speaking at the Meteorological Forum as part of the conference, Guterres focused on the use of artificial intelligence to protect people from the impacts of climate change.
According to him, the climate crisis continues to accelerate: the last eleven years have been the hottest in recorded history, and scientists expect a temporary exceedance of the 1.5-degree warming threshold.
Every fraction of a degree matters
“Every fraction of a degree matters. And every hour in warning [of danger] also matters,” emphasized the Secretary-General.
He reminded that today hundreds of millions of people, primarily in the least developed countries and small island developing states, still remain unprotected by early warning systems. At the same time, these countries have contributed the least to the emergence of the climate crisis.
According to Guterres, the UN initiative “Early Warnings for All” has already yielded tangible results: today, 128 countries have multi-hazard early warning systems — more than twice as many as in 2015. However, a third of the world’s countries still remain without such protection.
The UN head noted that artificial intelligence can significantly improve the efficiency of forecasting and issuing warnings, but technologies must rely on high-quality data, be accessible to the most vulnerable countries, and be used responsibly.
“Artificial intelligence should help solve the climate crisis, not exacerbate it,” he said.
Guterres also highly appreciated China’s contribution to the development of international cooperation in this area, noting that Chinese satellites, platforms, and artificial intelligence models are already helping dozens of developing countries improve their disaster early warning systems.
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