NEW DELHI, India: UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres on Friday called for utilising Artificial Intelligence for global good and mitigate challenges being faced by humanity. He urged countries to come together and prepare, protect, and invest in people. Today international cooperation is difficult. Trust is strained, and technological rivalry is growing.

He made the remarks while speaking at the Global AI Impact Summit 2026 here in the national capital on the role of science in international AI governance.

“We are barrelling into the unknown. AI innovation is moving at the speed of light, outpacing our collective ability to fully understand it. If we want AI to serve humanity, policy cannot be built on guesswork. It cannot be built on hype or disinformation. We need facts we can trust and share across countries and across sectors. Less noise, more knowledge”, he said.

Guterres highlighted the steps taken by the United Nations around AI noting the recently formed AI Panel.

He said, “The United Nations is building a practical architecture that puts science at the centre of international cooperation on AI. And it starts with the Independent International Scientific Panel on Artificial Intelligence. This panel is designed to help close the AI knowledge gap and assess the real impacts of AI across economies and societies so countries at every level of AI capacity can act with the same clarity. It is fully independent, it is globally diverse, and it is multidisciplinary because AI touches every area of every society.

And I’m delighted that the General Assembly of the United Nations confirmed the 40 experts I proposed to Member States. Now the real work begins on a fast track to deliver a first report ahead of the global dialogue on AI governance in July. The panel will provide a shared baseline of analysis, helping member states move from philosophical debates to technical coordination, and anchor choices in evidence.”

He called science-led governance an accelerator for solutions and a way to make progress safer, fairer, and more widely shared.

“It helps us identify where AI can do the most good the fastest. And it helps us anticipate impacts early from risks for children to labour markets to manipulation at scale. So countries can prepare, protect, and invest in people. Today international cooperation is difficult. Trust is strained, and technological rivalry is growing. Without a common baseline, fragmentation wins, with different regions and different countries operating under incompatible policies and technical standards. A patchwork of rules will raise costs, weaken safety, and widen divides. Science is a universal language. Guided by independent panel and the global dialogue on AI governance, we can align our technical baselines. When we agree on how to test systems and measure risk, we create interoperability”, the UN Chief added.

Guterres underlined that the goal should be to make humans control a technical reality, not a slogan–with the process requiring meaningful human oversight.

“It requires clear accountability, so responsibility is never outsourced to an algorithm. People must understand how decisions are made, challenge them and get answers. The message is simple. Less hype, less fear, more facts and evidence. Guided by science, we can transform AI from a source of uncertainty into a reliable engine for the sustainable development goals. Let us build a future where policy is as smart as the technology it seeks to guide”, Guterres said in his concluding remarks.

The India AI Impact Summit 2026, the first global AI summit hosted in the Global South, has brought together policymakers, industry leaders, academics and civil society representatives to deliberate on responsible AI governance and inclusive technological advancement.

-ANI