Global push for AI governance amid warnings of ‘catastrophic harm’

Published 5 July 2026 · tech

Governments, tech companies, academics and civil society will spend two days at the Global Dialogue on AI Governance wrestling with how to regulate a technology

Governments, tech companies, academics and civil society will spend two days at the Global Dialogue on AI Governance wrestling with how to regulate a technology that is evolving faster than the rules meant to contain it. AI, if used responsibly, could bring transformational benefits to people across the world, but there are also fears the revolutionary technology is creating new dangers; And while it continues to evolve at a lightning pace, the safeguards needed to regulate it are struggling to keep up. UN Photo/Eskinder Debebe Ahead of the meeting UN News spoke to four of the participants; Two co-chairs of the Dialogue and two co-chairs of the UN’s Independent International Scientific Panel on Artificial Intelligence which has just published a report on the opportunities and risks of AI. They spoke about the benefits but also the risks associated with AI and the need to agree on some form of universally-accepted global guardrails. Yoshua Bengio (Scientific Panel): AI is approaching or surpassing human capabilities in many domains. It is outpacing both scientific understanding and governments’ ability to adapt. There have been incredible advances which are changing the world and it doesn't look like it's stopping.

UN Photo/Evan Schneider Ambassador Rein Tammsaar of Estonia (Global Dialogue): For many countries in the world, AI could be a great equalizer. It can support economic development, advance competitiveness, support science and health systems. Machine learning in general could benefit productivity. This is the potential. AmbassadorEgriselda López of El Salavador (Global Dialogue): AI can be a tool for governments to better improve their work and the delivery of services. Rein Tammsaar: AI is a tool that millions of people around the world can benefit from. But at the same time, if it gets into the wrong hands, it could also be used for coercive purposes, to erode trust in governments, undermine democratic structures, and for propaganda and against information integrity. © Adobe Stock/JP Photography Maria Ressa(Scientific Panel): The first generation of AI was used in social media, and that pushed lies faster. If it's laced with fear, anger and hate, it spreads virally. Information integrity is the core of the battle. If you can't tell fact from fiction, you cannot have a democracy. This is the dilemma we face, and it's the reason I call it an ‘information Armageddon’. Yoshua Bengio: With growing evidence of deceptive AI behaviour, science currently cannot guarantee that as capabilities continue to increase, AI will not cause catastrophic harm, either on its own or due to malicious users.