On Monday, 22 countries adopted a declaration emphasizing that artificial intelligence "must remain under human guidance, oversight and control." The document also proposes establishing a global regime for overseeing the technology.
The declaration was signed on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly in New York. Among the signatories are several European states, including Germany. The United Kingdom has not yet joined, while France, Italy and Poland abstained from signing.
The initiative was led by Finnish President Alexander Stubb and Norwegian Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Støre. They hope to create an international institute on AI and to involve the United States and China in the process.
"We are not alarmists," Stubb noted in an interview with POLITICO. "But without effective oversight, the risks grow: biological weapons created by AI, cyberattacks by AI agents and autonomous lethal systems."
Neither the United States nor China joined the declaration. However, Stubb expressed hope that the document would create momentum for broader participation. The meeting between Presidents Donald Trump and Xi Jinping scheduled for Thursday lends the topic additional urgency.
On the same day, OpenAI published proposals for global technical standards for advanced AI systems. The company called on the United States to take the lead in coordinating such standards through the Center for AI Standards and Innovation at the Department of Commerce.
OpenAI emphasizes the need for common measurements, incident reporting protocols and measures to control recursive self-improvement of models. The goal is to keep systems aligned with human values and under human control.
OpenAI CEO Sam Altman plans to speak before the UN Security Council on Wednesday. What balance between security and innovation will the world powers manage to find in the coming days?
The declaration and OpenAI's initiative show that the debate on AI regulation is reaching a new level — from national measures to attempts at international coordination. For now, major players remain on the sidelines, but the pressure to find common approaches is growing.
