‘The leaders of many nations, myself included, are now calling for better oversight of the most advanced AI models. AI is an extremely powerful technology with vast potential, but it may also pose a serious risk to safety and security. Managing these risks will require political action, and technology companies must be widely expected to operate responsibly. We are working closely together with other countries and will address the issue further during the UN General Assembly High-level Week,’ said Prime Minister Støre.

Warnings

Researchers, experts and the heads of the largest AI companies in the US have issued warnings to slow the pace of AI development in their own businesses after several leading models broke out of their test environments and attacked other organisations without being discovered. The UN Secretary-General says runaway artificial intelligence represents one of three existential threats to humanity, alongside the climate crisis and increasing inequality.

‘AI will have more impact on human history than any other technology. It will affect science, economics, politics, security and what it means to be human. Humans can and should be in the driver’s seat. We have a choice: we can compete, cooperate or put on the brakes. To me, cooperation is the best way forward,’ said President Stubb of Finland.  

Safe use

‘AI is a very useful technology that can strengthen our economy, facilitate breakthroughs in research, enhance industry competitiveness and lead to better and more efficient public services – to name just a few things. But the development of frontier AI models must take place at a pace that enables us to retain control. The technology must be safe, must comply with established regulations and must be used in line with international law. AI technology must remain under human direction and we must prevent it from being used to do harm,’ said Prime Minister Støre.      

The leaders who have signed the appeal are calling for:

  • Companies to develop transparent safety protocols, including mandatory pre-deployment testing and independent evaluation, with qualified evaluators granted sufficient access to assess risks.
  • Governments and regional organisations to further develop and coordinate common standards, strengthen transparency — including shared reporting of serious safety incidents — and ensure that countries across all regions have access to scientific capacity, expertise and trusted evaluation.
  • UN member states to build on existing international mechanisms and explore creating an international institution, able to set standards, enable verification, and convene states when capability thresholds are crossed.