Developing Nations Press for a Greater Say in Global AI Rules at UN

Developing countries used the United Nations' annual diplomatic summit in New York to press for a stronger voice in writing the rules that will govern artificial intelligence, cautioning that a technology capable of reshaping economies could instead widen the gap between rich and poor if its development and oversight stay concentrated in wealthy nations.

The concerns voiced by leaders from Africa, Asia and Latin America reflect growing unease about AI's expanding power, following several safety failures and warnings from leading researchers about its long-term risks.

"Developing countries cannot be reduced to the role of mere users of technologies designed elsewhere, nor should be the mere recipients of standards and norms that they did not adequately participate in shaping," said Thérèse Kayikwamba Wagner, Foreign Minister of the Democratic Republic of the Congo. She added that the technological shifts of this century must not recreate the economic imbalances of earlier decades.

Wagner spoke at a Security Council session on AI that brought together executives from major AI laboratories, including OpenAI's Sam Altman and Anthropic's Dario Amodei, both of whom called on governments to cooperate in managing the technology.

Bangladesh's Foreign Minister Khalilur Rahman, who chaired this year's UN debate, noted the rapid rise in attention to the issue: four years ago only five delegations raised AI in the hall, while this year 128 did so. "Many framed AI as a question of governance: Who designs it, who benefits? Who bears the risks, and who is accountable when harm occurs," he said.

Economic assessments cited at the summit pointed to AI's potential. The World Bank said in a report last month that developing countries could achieve a century's worth of development in a decade if they move quickly to close gaps in power, connectivity and skills. The International Monetary Fund estimated in July that AI could add about 4% to Sub-Saharan Africa's economy over the next decade under the right conditions.

UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres drew a parallel between AI and climate change, arguing that developing nations should have an equal voice in both. "The climate crisis went from distant warning to daily reality and artificial intelligence moved at a speed that has blindsided even those who created it," he said, describing the two as chapters of the same story about power — who holds it, who is denied it, how it is used and how it is changing.

Guterres and Global South leaders called for coordinated international action on AI risks rather than isolated national responses. Their emphasis on regulation contrasted with remarks by US President Donald Trump, who has dismissed AI risks as a "hoax" and a "sick conspiracy" and told the UN that such concerns, like climate change, were vastly overblown.

Belize's Prime Minister John Briceño said AI, if well governed, could broaden access to knowledge and improve public services, but warned that poorly managed it could deepen inequality, expose critical systems, displace workers and leave developing countries dependent on technologies and rules designed elsewhere.