The United Nations has raised concerns that artificial intelligence could widen the gap between wealthy and poorer nations if countries fail to establish common rules to govern its development and use.
The warning was issued as policymakers, technology experts and government representatives gathered in Geneva for the first UN Global Dialogue on AI Governance, aimed at promoting international cooperation on the fast evolving technology.
According to the UN, the rapid pace of AI innovation is overtaking existing regulations, creating fears that only a handful of countries will reap its benefits while many developing nations struggle to keep up.
“The AI divide is real,” said Ambassador Egriselda López of El Salvador, co-chair of the Global Dialogue.
She explained that while some countries have the infrastructure, research capacity and skilled workforce to drive AI innovation, many others are still battling limited internet access and weak digital infrastructure.
The concerns were contained in a UN statement titled, “Global push for AI governance amid warnings of ‘catastrophic harm’”.
Co-chair of the Dialogue, Ambassador Rein Tammsaar of Estonia, described AI as a powerful tool that could improve healthcare, science, productivity and economic growth, but stressed that its benefits must be shared more evenly.
“The frontier developers are basically concentrated in two countries,” Tammsaar said, referring to the United States and China. “This leaves other countries with a lot of questions.”
He noted that several developing countries worry they may never catch up if AI research and innovation continue to be dominated by only a few economies.
The discussions are drawing on recommendations from the first report of the UN’s Independent International Scientific Panel on Artificial Intelligence, which says governments still lack effective systems to oversee the technology despite its enormous potential.
Panel co-chair Yoshua Bengio warned that AI capabilities are advancing at a pace faster than scientific understanding and existing regulations.
“We don’t have the right national or even international governance tools, and we don’t have good ways to steer the benefits so that they are shared by everyone,” Bengio said.
The report also warned that increasingly advanced AI systems could pose catastrophic risks if misused or exploited by malicious actors.
Nobel Peace Prize winner Maria Ressa, who also co-chairs the panel, said AI is already contributing to the rapid spread of misinformation, weakening trust in democratic institutions.
“The world cannot govern what it cannot understand,” Ressa said, urging governments to act before the costs of inaction become even greater.
The UN said the Geneva dialogue is expected to lay the foundation for future international cooperation on AI regulation, oversight and equitable access to the technology.