Global regulation of artificial intelligence is no longer a matter of choice, but a matter of institutional survival. This was the message delivered by UN Secretary-General António Guterres at the Global Dialogue on AI Governance. His stance is extremely firm: the world is moving toward an "experiment on societies without a plan and without consent," and delaying the creation of universal rules is no longer an option.
The pace of AI adoption is indeed alarming. As Guterres noted, it took the internet 15 years to attract a billion users. AI accomplished this in just two years. ChatGPT reached 100 million users in only two months. This is not just statistics — it is a fundamental shift in how technology permeates daily life, bypassing stages of reflection and control.
"You cannot vibe-code the future of humanity"
The key metaphor of the speech was "vibe-coding," i.e., passively accepting AI decisions without understanding their mechanisms. Guterres emphasized that modern systems no longer simply wait for commands — they write code, act online, and make decisions with ever-diminishing human oversight. Our institutions, designed to manage machines that execute orders, are not prepared for machines that decide.
Special emphasis was placed on three main risks: the speed of AI proliferation, the concentration of computing power and data in the hands of a handful of corporations and countries, and the degradation of the information environment.
Child protection and a ban on lethal systems
Protecting minors was named as one of the priorities. Guterres called on companies to adopt the AI Child Safety Pledge — a commitment not to deploy AI systems accessible to children without independent testing. He also demanded zero tolerance for the generation of sexualized images of minors and the mandatory provision of real human support in crisis situations. "No child should be a guinea pig for unregulated AI," he stated.
Another acute issue is autonomous weapons systems. Guterres directly called them "killer robots" and urged a full international legal ban on systems capable of selecting and engaging targets without human control. According to him, such technologies are "morally repugnant" and "politically unacceptable." States are already negotiating, but waiting for a tragedy to act is an unforgivable luxury.
Global fund and transparency
For developing countries, Guterres announced the creation of a global fund and an AI capacity exchange network. The goal is to prevent the digital divide from turning into a divide in development and sovereignty. More than 20 countries have already nominated centers for this network.
The issue of energy consumption was also highlighted: data centers already consume more electricity than most countries, and by 2030 they could surpass all but five nations in this regard. Transparency in this area is becoming a critical factor.
My comment as an analyst: The UN's position is a signal to the market. Investors and developers should prepare for the rapid disappearance of "gray areas" in AI regulation. This is especially relevant for projects involving autonomous agents, content generation for children, and military applications. China is already introducing temporary measures to regulate AI companions, and this is just the beginning of a global wave. Players who do not integrate compliance at the development stage risk being shut out of the market.