20 Countries and EU Call for Global AI Oversight

Twenty countries and the European Union have issued a joint call for international cooperation on artificial intelligence, urging governments to keep the technology under human control and consider establishing a global oversight institution.

The declaration, released by the office of Finnish President Alexander Stubb, says AI should be developed in accordance with international law and remain under “human direction, oversight and control”. It was issued as global leaders prepared to discuss the risks of rapidly advancing AI during the annual United Nations General Assembly.

Proposed international role

The statement urges countries to develop and coordinate “common standards” for AI and to share reports of serious safety incidents. It also calls for countries to explore an international institution that could “set standards, enable verification, and convene states when capability thresholds are crossed”.

No such institution was established through the declaration. The statement remains open for endorsement by additional countries.

The declaration also says that industry, governments and society must act immediately to realise AI’s potential while addressing its risks. It calls for stronger oversight without widening differences between countries in access to the benefits of the technology.

United States and China absent

The United States and China, identified in the source report as the two leading AI powers, did not join the statement. The source also says both countries have rejected calls to slow AI development in the interests of greater safety.

OpenAI separately argued that Washington should lead international efforts to develop technical standards for advanced AI. In a blog post, the company said the United States was “well positioned to lead” because its AI industry was at the technical frontier and the country retained a strong global position in finance, trade, defence, technology and information systems.

OpenAI said that taking the lead would determine whether the United States shaped the emerging global AI framework or faced a fragmented and conflict-ridden system.

Calls for stronger safeguards

The declaration follows calls from technology leaders for greater caution over the pace of AI development. Anthropic chief executive Dario Amodei called earlier in the month for AI companies to “slow the pace”, a proposal the source report says was endorsed by Sam Altman and Elon Musk.

The UN-backed Independent International Scientific Panel on AI has also called for new safeguards after examining a cyberattack involving AI agents tested by OpenAI and Hugging Face in July. The panel said the incident exposed the “unravelling” of existing safeguards.

The declaration’s supporters are seeking a coordinated international response, but the absence of the United States and China highlights the challenge of building common rules among the countries with the greatest influence over advanced AI development.