Keynote-António Guterres
19 Feb 2026 10:15h - 10:30h
Keynote-António Guterres
Summary
Speaker 1 thanked Sundar Pichai and introduced UN Secretary-General António Guterres to discuss AI in the Global South [1-3]. Guterres thanked Prime Minister Modi for hosting the first AI Summit in India, noting the location grounds the dialogue [4-6]. He warned AI’s future cannot be decided by a few countries or billionaires, but must be collective [7].
The UN General Assembly created a 40-expert independent scientific panel on AI, representing diverse regions and disciplines [8-12]. The panel’s role is to replace hype with evidence, close knowledge gaps and ensure AI belongs to everyone [13-14]. It also launched a global AI-governance dialogue with all nations, private sector, academia and civil society to set guardrails preserving human agency [15-18]. The first session will meet in July in Geneva, giving every stakeholder a voice to align efforts and uphold rights [18-20].
Guterres called for a $3 billion global AI fund to build capacity in developing countries-skills, data, affordable computing, ecosystems-under 1 % of a tech giant’s revenue [22-28]. He said responsible AI can advance Sustainable Development Goals, accelerate medical breakthroughs, expand education, strengthen food security, support climate action and improve services [29-30]. He warned AI can also deepen inequality, amplify bias, increase energy and water use, and must protect workers, children and vulnerable groups from exploitation [31-36].
The summit’s message is that technology should improve lives, protect the planet, and AI should be built for everyone with dignity as default [42-44]. Guterres concluded by thanking participants and urging collective action to ensure AI serves humanity [45].
Keypoints
– UN-led governance mechanisms for AI – The UN General Assembly has created an independent international scientific panel of 40 experts and launched a global dialogue on AI governance to give every country and stakeholder a voice, with the first session slated for Geneva in July[8-11][16-19].
– A global AI fund to bridge the capacity gap – A call is made for a $3 billion fund (less than 1 % of a major tech firm’s revenue) to build basic AI capacity in developing countries, covering skills, data, affordable computing and inclusive ecosystems[24-27].
– Balancing AI’s promise with its risks – AI can accelerate sustainable development-medicine, education, food security, climate action, disaster preparedness, and public services-but it also threatens to deepen inequality, amplify bias, increase energy and water demands, and expose vulnerable groups to exploitation and abuse[29-34][35-41].
– Inclusive, human-centered AI with safeguards – AI must be accessible to everyone, built on guardrails that preserve human agency, oversight and accountability, promote interoperability and trust across borders, and embed dignity as the default setting[12-14][17-22][43-44].
Overall purpose:
The discussion serves to announce and rally support for United Nations initiatives that establish global governance structures, secure financing, and set ethical standards for artificial intelligence, with the aim of ensuring AI benefits all peoples, especially those in the Global South, while mitigating its potential harms.
Overall tone:
The address begins with a formal, appreciative tone, shifts to an optimistic yet urgent call-to-action as it outlines concrete UN measures, becomes increasingly emphatic when warning about AI’s risks and the need for protective safeguards, and concludes on a hopeful, collaborative note urging collective effort to build “AI for everyone.”
Speakers
– Antonio Guterres – Role/Title: His Excellency, Secretary-General of the United Nations [S1]; Area of expertise: International diplomacy, AI governance (implied from speech)
– Speaker 1 – Role/Title: Event host / moderator (introducing the main speaker) [S4]; Area of expertise:
Additional speakers:
Speaker 1 opened the ceremony by thanking Sundar Pichai for his warm address and then extended a formal invitation to United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres, describing him as a global leader who champions peace, cooperation and sustainable progress, and urging the audience to give him a warm welcome [1-3].
Guterres expressed gratitude to Prime Minister Modi for the invitation and congratulated India on its leadership in organising the first AI Summit in the Global South, noting that holding the meeting in India gives the discussion special relevance by bringing it closer to the realities shaping the world today [4-6].
He warned that the future of artificial intelligence cannot be decided by a handful of countries or left to the whims of a few billionaires; instead, it must be a collective endeavour that includes all nations [7].
The UN General Assembly has therefore taken two decisive steps. First, it created an independent international scientific panel on AI, now appointed, comprising forty leading experts from diverse regions and disciplines. The panel embodies the message that AI must belong to everyone and is tasked with replacing hype and fear with shared evidence while closing knowledge gaps [8-13].
Guterres called on Member States, industry and civil society to contribute to the panel’s work [14-15].
The second step is the launch of a global dialogue on AI governance within the United Nations, designed to give every country, together with the private sector, academia and civil society, a voice. The inaugural session of this dialogue will be held in Geneva in July, providing a platform for all stakeholders to align efforts, uphold human rights and prevent misuse [16-19].
He stressed that effective governance requires guardrails that preserve human agency, oversight and accountability, and that these safeguards will also promote interoperability and build trust across borders for regulators and businesses, turning compatibility into operability [17-22].
Guterres warned that without adequate investment many countries will be “logged out” of the AI age, underscoring that AI must be accessible to everyone [22-24].
Because AI must be accessible to everyone, and encouraged by the UN General Assembly, he called for a global AI fund of three billion US dollars – a sum that is less than one per cent of the annual revenue of a single large tech company – aimed at building basic AI capacity in developing nations. The fund would support skills development, data provision, affordable computing power and the creation of inclusive ecosystems [25-28].
When deployed responsibly, AI can accelerate progress toward the Sustainable Development Goals: it can drive breakthroughs in medicine, expand learning opportunities, strengthen food security, bolster climate action and disaster preparedness, and improve access to vital public services [29-30].
However, Guterres cautioned that the same technology can also deepen inequality, amplify bias and cause harm if left unchecked [31-34].
He highlighted the growing energy and water demands of AI systems, urging that data centres and supply chains shift to clean power and that the associated costs not be transferred to vulnerable communities. He also called for investment in workers so that AI augments, rather than replaces, human potential [31-32].
Guterres emphasized that AI must be safe for everyone [33-41]. He reiterated the need to protect people from exploitation, manipulation and abuse, stressing that no child should be left alone and that these protections must be embedded in every AI system [33-41].
He concluded by thanking the participants and reiterating the summit’s simple message: technology should improve lives and protect the planet, and AI should be built for everyone with dignity as the default setting [42-44].
Thank you, Mr. Sundar Pichai, for that warm and insightful address. Excellencies, ladies and gentlemen, it’s a great honor to invite His Excellency Antonio Guterres, Secretary General of the United Nations, to present his address. A global leader championing peace, cooperation, and sustainable progress, please join me in giving him a warm welcome.
Prime Minister Modi, thank you for your kind invitation, and congratulations for India’s leadership organizing the first AI Summit in the Global South. Meeting in India has special meaning. It brings this conversation closer to the realities shaping match of the world. Because the future of AI cannot be decided by a handful of countries or left to the whims of a few billionaires. Last year, the UN General Assembly took two decisive steps. First, creating an independent international scientific panel on AI. And I am happy to announce that the panel has now been appointed. These 40 leading experts from across regions and disciplines embody a clear message. AI must belong to everyone. We must replace hype and fear with shared evidence and close knowledge gaps.
I urge Member States. Industry and civil society to contribute to the panel’s work. work. Second, launching a global dialogue on AI governance within the United Nations, where all countries, together with the private sector, the academia and the civil society, can have a voice. We need guardrails that preserve human agency, human oversight and human accountability. And the first session of the dialogue in Geneva in July will give every country and every stakeholder a voice. To align efforts, uphold human rights and prevent misuse. And to advance our common safety measures, the foundation of interoperability. That builds trust across borders for regulators and businesses and turns compatibility into operability. Your discussions here will culminate in the global dialogue, but without investment, many countries will be logged out of the AI age.
AI must be accessible to everyone. That is why, encouraged by the General Assembly of the United Nations, I am calling for a global fund on AI to build basic capacity in developing countries. Skills, data, affordable computing power, and inclusive ecosystems. Our target is 3 billion US dollars. That is less than 1 % of the annual revenue of a single tech company. A small price for AI must benefit everyone. Done right, AI can advance sustainable development goals, accelerate breakthroughs in medicine, expand learning opportunities, strengthen food security, bolster climate action and disaster preparedness, and improve access to vital public services. But it can also deepen inequality, amplify bias, and fuel harm. As AI’s energy and water demands soar, data centers and supply chains must switch to clean power and shift costs to vulnerable communities.
We must invest in workers so AI augments human potential, not only replaces it. And AI must be safe for everyone. We must protect people from exploitation, manipulation, and abuse. No child should be left alone. We must protect people from exploitation, manipulation, and abuse. We must protect people from exploitation, manipulation, and abuse. We must protect people from exploitation, manipulation, and abuse. We must protect people from exploitation, manipulation, and abuse. We must protect people from exploitation, manipulation, and abuse. We must protect people from exploitation, manipulation, and abuse. Excellencies, the message of this summit is simple. Real impact means technology that improves lives and protects the planet. So let’s build AI for everyone with dignity as the default setting.
Thank you.
“Speaker 1 opened the ceremony by thanking Sundar Pichai for his warm address and then extended a formal invitation to United Nations Secretary‑General António Guterres, describing him as a global leader who champions peace, cooperation and sustainable progress, and urging the audience to give him a warm welcome.”
The moderator’s thanks to Sundar Pichai and the description of him as a global leader championing peace, cooperation and sustainable progress are recorded in the transcript [S2]; the ceremonial introduction of António Guterres is also documented [S3].
“Guterres expressed gratitude to Prime Minister Modi for the invitation and congratulated India on its leadership in organising the first AI Summit in the Global South, noting that holding the meeting in India gives the discussion special relevance by bringing it closer to the realities shaping the world today.”
The speech contains the exact wording thanking Prime Minister Modi, congratulating India on hosting the first AI Summit in the Global South, and emphasizing the special relevance of meeting in India [S58].
“He warned that the future of artificial intelligence cannot be decided by a handful of countries or left to the whims of a few billionaires; instead, it must be a collective endeavour that includes all nations.”
The warning that “the future of AI cannot be decided by a handful of countries” appears in the same passage [S58].
“He warned that the future of artificial intelligence cannot be decided by a handful of countries or left to the whims of a few billionaires; instead, it must be a collective endeavour that includes all nations.”
The broader discussion in the knowledge base highlights that AI development is currently concentrated in a few companies and countries, underscoring the need for inclusive participation [S54].
“The UN General Assembly has therefore taken two decisive steps. First, it created an independent international scientific panel on AI, now appointed, comprising forty leading experts from diverse regions and disciplines.”
The opening ceremony announced that negotiations are underway to establish an Independent International Scientific Panel on AI and a Global Dialogue on AI Governance [S18]; the source confirms the creation of the panel but does not specify the number of experts, so the detail of “forty” is not verified.
“The second step is the launch of a global dialogue on AI governance within the United Nations, designed to give every country, together with the private sector, academia and civil society, a voice. The inaugural session of this dialogue will be held in Geneva in July.”
The transcript confirms the establishment of a Global Dialogue on AI Governance as part of the UN-led initiatives [S18]; however, it does not mention the Geneva venue or the July date, so those specifics are not corroborated.
“When deployed responsibly, AI can accelerate progress toward the Sustainable Development Goals: it can drive breakthroughs in medicine, expand learning opportunities, strengthen food security, bolster climate action and disaster preparedness, and improve access to vital public services.”
The knowledge base discusses AI as a global challenge with significant opportunities for health, education, food security, climate and disaster response, providing broader context for the SDG claim [S56].
“However, Guterres cautioned that the same technology can also deepen inequality, amplify bias.”
Other sources stress that AI benefits are unevenly distributed and that concentration in a few firms can exacerbate inequality, reinforcing the caution about bias and disparity [S54] and [S51].
The two speakers show clear alignment on the principle that AI development must be globally inclusive, multistakeholder, and rooted in cooperation, with specific nods to India’s leadership in the Global South and the need for protective safeguards for vulnerable groups.
Moderate consensus: while both endorse inclusive, cooperative AI governance and acknowledge India’s role, detailed policy proposals (e.g., the $3 billion fund, guardrails, environmental concerns) are presented only by Guterres. The shared commitment to inclusive dialogue provides a solid foundation for further collaborative action.
The transcript contains only two speakers: an opening welcome (Speaker 1) that thanks and acknowledges the UN Secretary‑General, and the substantive remarks of Antonio Guterres. No speaker presents a contrary position to another; Guterres outlines a series of proposals and observations that are not contested within the provided text. Consequently, there is an absence of explicit disagreement or even nuanced partial disagreement between the participants.
Minimal – the dialogue is largely complementary, with Speaker 1 setting the stage and Guterres delivering the policy content. The lack of opposing viewpoints suggests smooth consensus on the overarching goal of inclusive, responsible AI, limiting any immediate implementation challenges arising from intra‑session conflict.
Antonio Guterres’ remarks transformed the summit from a showcase of AI capabilities into a multidimensional debate about inclusivity, governance, financing, sustainability, and human rights. Each highlighted idea introduced a new axis of discussion—democratization, regulatory guardrails, concrete funding, balanced risk‑benefit analysis, environmental responsibility, and protective safeguards—that collectively redirected the conversation toward actionable, equitable, and responsible AI development. These pivotal comments shaped the agenda, informed the tone, and laid the groundwork for subsequent policy‑focused engagements among the participants.
Disclaimer: This is not an official session record. DiploAI generates these resources from audiovisual recordings, and they are presented as-is, including potential errors. Due to logistical challenges, such as discrepancies in audio/video or transcripts, names may be misspelled. We strive for accuracy to the best of our ability.
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