UN backs idea of creating global AI watchdog to tackle misinformation

UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has backed a proposal by some artificial intelligence executives for the creation of an international AI watchdog body like the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA).

"Alarm bells over the latest form of artificial intelligence – generative AI – are deafening. And they are loudest from the developers who designed it," Guterres told reporters on Monday. "We must take those warnings seriously."

He has announced plans to start work by the end of the year on a high-level AI advisory body to regularly review AI governance arrangements and offer recommendations on how they can align with human rights, the rule of law and the common good.

But he added: "I would be favourable to the idea that we could have an artificial intelligence agency ... inspired by what the international agency of atomic energy is today."

Guterres said such a model could be "very interesting" but noted that "only member states can create it, not the Secretariat of the United Nations".

The Vienna-based IAEA was created in 1957 and promotes the safe, secure and peaceful use of nuclear technologies while watching for possible violations of the Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT). It has 176 member states.

Generative AI technology that can spin authoritative prose from text prompts has captivated the public since ChatGPT launched six months ago and became the fastest-growing app of all time.

AI has also become a focus of concern over its ability to create deepfake pictures and other misinformation.