UN Secretary-General António Guterres made a strong statement at the Global Dialogue on AI Governance. His message is crystal clear: the current pace of artificial intelligence development has turned into an uncontrolled "experiment on societies," conducted without a plan and without humanity's consent. Guterres called for the immediate introduction of common rules for advanced AI systems, protection of children from the risks of chatbots, and a ban on lethal autonomous weapons.
The Secretary-General's key point is that institutions created to manage machines that follow commands are completely unprepared for machines that make decisions. He emphasized that it took the internet 15 years to reach a billion users, while AI accomplished this task in just two years. In support of this, a preliminary report from the UN scientific panel indicates that ChatGPT gained 100 million users in two months. Modern systems, he said, no longer wait for commands — they write code, operate online, and make decisions with ever-decreasing human oversight.
"Vibe Coding" and the Future of Humanity
Guterres introduced the term "vibe coding" into the discourse as a metaphor for passive management: letting the system do the work without understanding the mechanism or consequences. "We cannot vibe-code the truth. We cannot vibe-code the future of humanity," he stated, warning that countries face a choice not between believing in AI and fearing it, but between conscious management and passive drift.
Child Protection: Three Principles
Guterres named the protection of children as one of the top priorities. He called on companies to commit to the safety of AI systems accessible to minors (AI Child Safety Pledge). Technology, he said, has already infiltrated children's learning, friendships, and personal matters, but the consequences of its implementation have not been vetted by society. "No child should be a guinea pig for unregulated AI," he emphasized. The proposal includes three principles: do not launch systems without special testing, zero tolerance for the generation of sexualized images of minors, and the mandatory provision of real human support if the system detects signs of a crisis in a child.
"Killer Robots": Morally Repugnant and Politically Unacceptable
A separate section of the speech addressed the military application of AI. Guterres called for international law to ban lethal autonomous weapons systems — machines that can select and engage targets without human control. "Let's call them what they are: killer robots," he stated, adding that such systems are "morally repugnant" and "politically unacceptable." He warned that states should not wait for a tragedy to act, especially given that the same models and chips are already being used on the battlefield.
Developing Countries and Transparency
Guterres also stated that the digital divide must not turn into an AI divide, and subsequently into a divide in development, security, and sovereignty. He announced recommendations for creating a global AI fund to help developing countries gain access to computing resources, open data, and models. Another important direction mentioned was transparency: data centers already consume more electricity than most countries, and by 2030, they could surpass all but five nations in energy consumption. "If AI is to be powerful, it must be governed. If AI is to be trusted, those who create it must be held accountable," the Secretary-General summarized.
My analysis: Guterres' statement is not just diplomatic rhetoric, but a clear signal to the market. I expect that in the next 12-18 months, we will see stricter regulation at the national level, especially in the areas of child protection and autonomous weapons. Investors and developers should prepare for new compliance requirements that could significantly impact the business models of AI companies.