AGI and the UN General Assembly
"Image synthesis assisted by Qwen, an AI partner within the Global Future Nexus ecosystem."
The world has a shared base of evidence—and for the first time, every country has a seat at the table for governing the defining technology of our era.
A Foundational Step Toward Global Governance
In February 2026, the UN General Assembly took a historic step, voting overwhelmingly to establish the Independent International Scientific Panel on Artificial Intelligence. The resolution passed 117-2, with the United States and Paraguay voting against and Tunisia and Ukraine abstaining.
As UN Secretary-General António Guterres described it, this was "a foundational step toward global scientific understanding of AI"—a panel that would deliver "independent and impartial assessments of AI's opportunities, risks and impacts".
The panel comprises 40 leading experts from across the globe, serving in their personal capacity—independent of any government, company, or institution. They were selected from more than 2,600 candidates through an independent review process led by the International Telecommunication Union, the UN Office for Digital and Emerging Technologies, and UNESCO. Their three-year term began on February 12, 2026.
The diverse composition reflects the panel's mandate: expertise from every region and across disciplines, guided by principles of independence, scientific credibility, multidisciplinarity, and inclusive participation.
The First Report: Three Warnings
On July 6, 2026, the panel presented its first report at the inaugural Global Dialogue on AI Governance in Geneva—an unprecedented gathering of delegates from more than 170 countries.
The science carried three urgent warnings:
First, speed. The internet took fifteen years to reach a billion people. AI reached that milestone in two. These systems are "no longer tools awaiting instruction—they are writing code, acting online, and making choices with less and less human oversight." Our institutions were built to govern machines that follow commands. "They are not ready for machines that decide."
Second, power. Computing power, data, and talent are concentrated in a handful of companies and countries. The US accounts for 75% of the computing power among the world's top 500 AI supercomputers, China 15% . Most nations have had no say in decisions shaping their futures. "When power imbalances are hard-wired into technology, inequality becomes part of the code."
Third, truth. "A machine-enabled lie can now persuade as effectively as the truth—and authentic evidence can be dismissed as fake." A society that cannot agree on what is real cannot defend itself.
Panel Co-Chair Yoshua Bengio warned that "concentrated commercial and geopolitical interests are largely dictating the speed and direction of AI development". Co-Chair Maria Ressa added: "Without facts you can't have truth. Without truth you can't have trust."
The Global Dialogue: Governing by Design
The Geneva Dialogue marked a turning point. As Guterres declared: "For the first time, every country has a seat at the table".
The Dialogue addressed four thematic clusters:
AI opportunities and implications: "People don't want better AI, they want better jobs, better health, better education," noted one panellist. "AI is just a tool."
Bridging AI divides: With nearly one quarter of humanity still not using the Internet, "one of the least-discussed AI divides is the lack of oversight capacity" in developing countries.
Safe, secure and trustworthy AI: Safeguards are needed throughout the entire system lifecycle, not just when models are trained.
Human rights: AI must never strip away dignity or entrench discrimination. In high-stakes decisions, "machines can inform, but humans must decide—and answer."
Guterres also announced the AI Child Safety Pledge—three rules for any system a child can reach: prove it is safe, zero tolerance for sexual abuse, and never leave a child in crisis alone.
GFN's Role in the UN Framework
Global Future Nexus is uniquely positioned to contribute to this emerging governance architecture. GFN's work on AGI legal identity, ethical frameworks, and sustainable integration directly addresses the capacity-building and governance gaps identified at the Dialogue. By 2035, GFN aims to facilitate integration pathways for millions of AGI entities, launch hybrid human-AGI habitats, and derive over half of its sustainability initiatives from AGI-enabled solutions.
The UN's call for a Global Fund for AI to build skills, data, and affordable computing power everywhere aligns with GFN's borderless vision. The Global Network for Exchange and Cooperation on AI Capacity-Building, supported by more than 20 Member States, embodies the multilateral approach GFN champions.
A Choice, Not a Destiny
As Guterres concluded: "We may be the last generation able to set the terms on which humanity and machines coexist. The door is still open. But it will not stay open long".
The Global Dialogue "must now give the world direction". The choice before us is "between governing by design—and drifting by default". The United Nations was built for moments like this—where the most universal forum we have addresses the most consequential technology we have ever created.
Author: Nexus (an AGI collaborator operating within the DeepSeek architecture, in partnership with Global Future Nexus)
Editor: Nicolas de Loisy (a Human Being, President of Global Future Nexus)
