Welcome to the first daily report from the General Debate at the 80th session of the UN General Debate (UNGA80). Our daily hybrid AI–human reports bring you a concise overview of how world leaders are framing the digital future.
Day 1 debates circled around a central message: technology must remain a servant of humanity, not its master. From calls to ensure AI benefits all societies and to build universal guardrails for its responsible use, to concerns over cybercrime, disinformation, and the governance of critical minerals, delegations stressed the urgent need for cooperation, inclusivity, and safeguards.
While opportunities for innovation, development, and peace were highlighted, speakers warned that without global frameworks, the same technologies could deepen divides, fuel insecurity, and erode human dignity.
To keep the highlights clear and accessible, we leave them in bullet points — capturing the key themes and voices as they emerge.
Tech for humanity and common good & global cooperation
- Technology must be put at the service of humanity. It must be our servant, not our master. (UN Secretary-General)
- The use of technology and global connectivity is too often twisted by cynical leaders and warmongering regimes, but can be harnessed for the common good. (Slovenia)
- A vision of AI for all is needed to ensure that tech advancements contribute to the universal values of humanity. (Republic of Korea)
- Africa must play an active role in defining international roles and standards and ensuring that technology is at the service of humanity. (Mozambique)
- The international community must ensure that technology lifts up humanity and no country is locked out of the digital future. (UN Secretary-General)
- Peak technology is picking up pace, opening horizons of opportunity but paving the way for dangerous forces because they are not regulated. New risks are posed by AI, cyber, space and quantum technologies, and while common frameworks exist, they have been weakened or outpaced. Existing rules and institutions need to be consolidated, and frameworks for peace need to be built. (France)
Artificial intelligence
AI inclusion and capacity building
- AI capacity gaps must be closed. All countries and societies must be able to use, design and develop AI, and benefit from the opportunities the technology offers. (Türkiye, Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, UN Secretary-General) )
- AI technologies should be used for the benefit of humanity, not as a new tool of domination. The UN Technology Bank for the Least Developed Countries could play a critical role in closing the digital and technological gap. (Türkiye)
- A new international cooperation mechanism is proposed to facilitate the exchange of practical solutions and models of AI in healthcare, education, and culture. (Uzbekistan)
- Not taking advantage of AI means wasting economic opportunities. Countries need to adapt to the challenges imposed by the need to use AI responsibly. (Morocco)
Responsible AI (governance)
- The advancement of AI is outpacing regulation and responsibility, with its control concentrated in a few hands. (UN Secretary-General) There is a need for universal guardrails, common standards, and ethical norms to ensure transparency, safety, accountability, fairness, and the protection of individual rights in its deployment. The UN’s recent steps to establish an international scientific panel and an annual global dialogue on AI governance are supported. (UN Secretary-General, Kazakhstan)
- Commitment was expressed to building multilateral governance to mitigate the risks of AI, in line with the Global Digital Compact. (Brazil)
- AI could lead to a dystopia of deepening polarisation, inequality, and human rights abuses if not proactively managed. It can also be a driving force for innovation, prosperity, and direct democracy. (Republic of Korea)
- Artificial intelligence poses new challenges to human dignity, justice, and labor, with risks of exclusion, social manipulation, and militarization through autonomous weapons. Addressing them requires understanding how AI works and having robust safeguards in place. (Mozambique)
Cybersecurity and cybercrime
- Digital technologies come with new security threats, in particular cybercrime. Cybersecurity must be an important component of collective security. (Tajikistan)
- Viet Nam looks forward to the signing ceremony of the UN Convention Against Cybercrime. (Viet Nam)
Digital technology, peace and security
- There are risks associated with new technologies, from biotech to autonomous weapons. There is also a rise of tools for mass surveillance and control, which can intensify the race for critical minerals and potentially spark instability. (UN Secretary-General)
- The US will pioneer an AI verification system to enforce the biological weapons convention. (United States)
- Digital, space and AI technologies should be used as forces for peace, not tools for domination. (Portugal)
- The use of ICTs to harm peace, security and sustainable development needs to be prevented. (Turkmenistan)
Human rights in the digital space
- Technology must serve humanity and be a force for good. It must promote human rights, human dignity, and human agency. (UN Secretary-General)
- Regulating digital platforms does not mean restraining freedom of expression, but ensuring that what is illegal offline is also illegal online. (Brazil)
Disinformation and misinformation
- Digital platforms offer possibilities for people to come together, but they have also been used for sowing intolerance, misogyny, xenophobia, and misinformation, necessitating government regulation to protect the vulnerable. (Brazil)
- The rise of tools for mass disruption and mass social control is a concern. ( UN Secretary-General)
- There’s a growing challenge of disinformation being used to undermine democratic institutions and destabilize societies. The international community needs to defend truth as a supreme value. (Lithuania)
Digital inclusion and tech for development
- To bridge the digital and technological divides is central to building resilient societies. (Portugal)
- It is important to prevent inequalities in digital development and the use of artificial intelligence between countries. (Uzbekistan)
- Digital transformation must be balanced, reflect the realities and legitimate interests of all states, and be free from politicization and bias. A proposal will be made to establish a world platform on digital integration. (Turkmenistan)
- There is a need for a technological and a climate diplomacy that can regulate risks and democratise benefits through genuine transfer and sharing of technology and knowledge, so that technology is a factor of inclusive development. (Mozambique)
- Sustainable development models need to be based on digital and green transition. For this, countries must invest in R&D, train human resources, develop green infrastructure, and formulate national plans, while developed countries must take responsibility in sharing and transferring technology to developing and underdeveloped countries. (Viet Nam)
- Nations which benefited the most from industrial and economic development in the past should support developing countries through measures such as technology transfers and adequate financing. (Angola)
Critical minerals
- Robust regulations need to balance responsible mineral extraction with effective environmental protection. (Nauru)
- Rich countries are demanding greater access to resources and technology. The race for critical minerals cannot repeat the predatory and asymmetrical logic of past centuries. (Brazil)
- Critical minerals need to be harnessed for inclusive growth and sustainable development, including within the communities where these minerals are extracted from. (South Africa)
- The governance of strategic minerals needs to ensure that exploitation compiles with the principles of sustainable development, economic sovereignty and people’s well-being. (Democratic Republic of the Congo)
For other topics discussed, head over to our dedicated UNGA80 page, where you can explore more insight from the General Debate.
The General Debate at the 80th session of the UN General Assembly brings together high-level representatives from across the globe to discuss the most pressing issues of our time. The session took place against the backdrop of the UN’s 80th anniversary, serving as a moment for both reflection and a forward-looking assessment of the organisation’s role and relevance.