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On 6-7 July 2026, diplomats, experts, officials, representatives of civil societies and the UN agencies filled up the rooms, connected by one question: “How can we make AI a force for dignity, opportunity, and progress?”Future of risks and possibilitiesOpening the first Global Dialogue on AI Governance, UN Secretary-General António Guterres warned that AI is moving faster than the world’s institutions can respond.“An experiment is being run on our own societies — without a plan, and without consent,” warned Guterres, underlining that societies are being pushed into this new era without clear rules, shared safeguards, or meaningful public consent. The influence of AI across all spheres of human existence has skyrocketed over the past two years. It reshaped many workplaces, education, information consumption, and daily life. The whole industry is reviewing labour practices and hiring standards, with people’s productivity unfairly compared to AI's.Vulnerable communities are even more at risk of people using AI to spread hate and misogyny. “Abusers now can create and spread deepfakes, sexualized synthetic images, impersonation content, and other forms of image-based abuse faster, cheaper, and with less technical skill,” explained Kalliopi Mingeirou, UN Women.But experts speak not only of dangers but also of the world of possibilities that AI opens for people and societies, proposing access to knowledge, skills, and solutions they hadn’t before. AI can help doctors detect illness faster. It can support children who need extra help with learning. It can give farmers better forecasts. It can support sustainable recovery and development.“Used well, and shared widely, AI could compress decades of development into years,” said Secretary-General. “For countries rebuilding, modernizing, and defending democratic institutions, responsible AI could become a powerful tool.”“Innovations need guardrails”The message is simple: innovation needs rules. We trust aviation not because it couldn’t be dangerous, but because it has rules. Same with cars. Imagine not having any traffic regulations? A car is a tool, and rules are needed for those behind the wheel. Same with AI.“AI is a tool that millions of people can benefit from. But at the same time, if it’s in the bad hands, it could also be used for coercive purposes, to erode trust, undermine democratic structures, and it could be used for propaganda and against information integrity,” explained Rein Tammsaar, co-chair of the Global Dialogue on AI governance, Permanent Representative of Estonia to the United Nations. UN Secretary-General cautions that many nations have had little say in decisions that may shape their futures. Therefore, the UN is becoming a platform for Member States to discuss and set up priorities for global action based on safety, red lines, capacity, and transparency.Safety, especially for children, is paramount, while human rights are at the core in areas such as policing, healthcare, justice, and social services.“No child should be a guinea pig for unregulated AI.”Countries must not be excluded from the AI revolution because they lack computing power, data, skills, or investment. The UN plans to support networks and funding mechanisms to help countries build AI capacity, especially in developing countries. Across the UN system, AI is already being used to help people in practical ways: helping the World Food Programme deliver food faster and more efficiently, supporting UNICEF and ITU’s initiative in connecting young people to the internet. It also helps to spot risks, detect crises earlier, make networks safer, and guide teams working in difficult conditions.Ukrainian contextUkraine continues digital transformation, recovery, and European integration against the backdrop of the highly challenging circumstances of the large-scale invasion of Russia.Ukrainians live in an information environment where truth is constantly under attack. Disinformation, fake videos, manipulated images, and automated online campaigns are part of the wider reality of war. The usage of AI deepens these issues, while its application in military drones poses real dangers for the civilian population.However, used well, AI tools can help rebuild and protect society. The Ukrainian government has already made some progress in using AI for mine clearance, while further application of AI tools could support reconstruction, public services, education, healthcare, and democratic resilience.The future of AI is still open. Now the task is to build that future by humanity, with humanity, and for all humanity.Further information on AI Global Dialogue is available at the link.Speech of the UN Secretary-General during the opening session.