United Nations Ponders Over Four Critical Measures to Address AI and AGI Superintelligence
The United Nations (UN) is leading global efforts to govern the transition to advanced and potentially Artificial General Intelligence (AGI), a form of AI that matches or surpasses human intellect. The UN's initiatives and recommendations aim to ensure a safe, equitable, and sustainable transition to AGI.
## Key UN Initiatives and Events
The AI for Good Global Summit 2025, held in Geneva from July 8–11, 2025, brought together stakeholders from governments, tech leaders, academics, and civil society to discuss the alignment of AI with the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and the mitigation of risks such as inequality, disinformation, and environmental impact. The summit emphasised the importance of inclusive AI governance, public understanding, policy oversight, and upskilling from early education to lifelong learning.
The UN General Assembly has approved the Pact for the Future, a call for a new multilateral architecture for AI governance grounded in equity and human rights. Key features of the Pact include the establishment of an independent, international scientific panel on AI, regular global discussions within the UN, support for developing countries, and innovative voluntary financing options to support AI capacity-building.
## Proposed Recommendations and Structures
The UN's proposed recommendations include the creation of an International AI Agency, inspired by the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), to oversee frontier AI development, monitor compliance, and harmonise domestic regulations. Another proposal is a Secure Chips Agreement, modelled on the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT), to regulate the export of advanced chips, ensuring that only countries with robust regulatory frameworks can access critical AI components.
The UN also suggests an Allied Public-Private Partnership, a US-led coalition including allies and private partners to manage advanced AI development, with the aim of making it more secure, safe, and less prone to misuse. Recognising shifts in global power, UN leaders call for the reform of bodies like the Security Council and international financial architecture to better reflect the current multipolar world and ensure fair AI governance.
## Conclusion
The UN's comprehensive, multilateral, and inclusive approach to governing the transition to AGI emphasises equity, human rights, and global cooperation. Key recommendations include the establishment of an international AI oversight body, a secure chips agreement, ongoing global dialogue, and support for capacity-building in developing countries.
The report, entitled "Governance of the Transition to Artificial General Intelligence (AGI): Urgent Considerations for the UN General Assembly", suggests that without proactive global management, competition among nations and corporations could accelerate risky AGI development, undermine security protocols, and exacerbate geopolitical tensions.
The report calls for four crucial recommendations: establishing a global AGI Observatory, crafting international best practices and certifications for secure and trustworthy AGI, convening a special Framework Convention on AGI, and potentially creating a new UN agency devoted to the AGI advent. A new UN agency devoted to AGI is suggested to expedite the exploration and implementation of AGI governance.
The report warns that if AGI is allowed to be let loose and insufficiently overseen, society is going to be at grave risk. However, it also emphasises that coordinated international action can prevent negative outcomes, promoting secure AGI development and usage, equitable distribution of benefits, and global stability.
- The United Nations' report on AGI governance suggests the creation of a new UN agency dedicated to AGI, similar to the International Atomic Energy Agency, aiming to oversee frontier AI development and harmonize domestic regulations.
- Recognizing the potential dangers of Artificial Superintelligence (ASI), the UN calls for the establishment of a global AGI Observatory, designed to monitor the development and usage of AGI and identify any risks, such as existential threats to humankind.
- In an effort to foster global collaboration and minimize the environmental impact of AGI, the UN proposes the Secure Chips Agreement, modeled on the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty, to regulate the export of advanced chips and ensure that only those countries with strong legal regulations can access critical AI components, reducing the dire existential risk posed by unchecked AI development.
