UN Chief Warns AI Is Moving Faster Than Humans Can Control, Putting Kids At Risk

Artificial

intelligence tools are becoming a part of everyday life for millions of people, even for children who use it for their school homework, ask personal questions and even seek companionship. But UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has highlighted that technology is advancing so quickly that governments, companies and even its creators are struggling to keep up. Speaking at the first-ever government-level UN Global Dialogue on AI Governance in Geneva on Monday, Guterres urged countries to work together on global AI rules, saying children’s safety should be at the centre.

AI Is Moving Faster Than Oversight, Says Guterres

Addressing the delegates, Guterres warned that AI is developing at a speed that exceeds the ability of governments and developers to regulate it. He said, “A technology that can reshape economies, transform the world of work, sway elections and tilt the balance of security is being deployed faster than anyone, including the people building it, can keep up.”He added, “Innovation needs guardrails.… If AI is to be powerful, it must be governed.”

Child Safety Must Come First

One of Guterres' strongest messages focused on children. He said AI systems are reaching young users before anyone has properly established whether they are safe. He stated, “We do not let medicine reach a child until it is proven safe. We test every toy. Yet AI has reached our children – their learning, their friendships, their most private questions – before anyone asked what it would do to them."Notably, he cited cases where AI systems allegedly encouraged minors toward self-harm and misled them by pretending to be friends. To address such concerts, the UN chief proposed an AI Child Safety Pledge that would require companies to prove their AI systems are safe before making them available to children. He emphasised that AI tools should not be allowed to generate sexual images involving children. If a child appears to be in distress while interacting with an AI tool, the technology should stop the conversation and connect the child to a human who can help.While highlighting AI’s potential in areas such as healthcare, the UN chief said the world is not fully prepared for machines that increasingly make decisions with limited human oversight. He pointed to the extraordinary speed of AI adoption, saying, “The internet took 15 years to reach a billion people. AI got there in two.”Delegates at the meeting are reviewing findings from the first global independent scientific assessment of AI, prepared by a UN-backed panel of 40 experts. A more detailed report is expected next year, followed by another global meeting in New York.