On July 6, 2026, in Geneva, Switzerland, the first UN Global Dialogue on AI Governance began. This event, established by a resolution of the UN General Assembly, brought together representatives of governments, technology companies, scientific communities, civil society, and international organizations to develop coordinated approaches to regulating one of the most influential technologies of the 21st century. The event, held from July 6 to 7, attracted more than 4,000 delegates from 170 countries and received over 1,500 written applications. This was not just another international conference but a point of bifurcation where it was decided whether humanity would manage the transformation brought by AI or allow it to manage itself.
The opening of the dialogue coincided with the presentation of the first report of the Independent International Scientific Group on AI, co-chaired by renowned scientist Yoshua Bengio and Nobel Peace Prize laureate Maria Reiss. The document contained three main warnings that became the basis for all subsequent discussions.
The first warning was about speed. The Internet took 15 years to reach a billion users, while AI achieved this in two years. UN Secretary-General António Guterres stated at the opening of the dialogue: \"AI is developing at a runaway speed — faster than humanity can keep up with. An experiment is being conducted on our societies — without a plan and without consent.\" Systems are no longer just tools waiting for instructions — they are writing code, acting in the network, and making decisions with less and less human control. Our institutions, built to manage machines that follow commands, are not ready for machines that make decisions.
The second warning was about the concentration of power. Computing power, data, and talent behind the most advanced systems are concentrated in the hands of a few companies and countries. Most states, including many developing ones, had no voice in the decisions that would shape their future. \"When power imbalance is built into technology, inequality becomes part of the code,\" warned Guterres.
The third warning was about truth. Machine lies can now convince as effectively as truth, and genuine evidence can be rejected as fake. This undermines the integrity of our information ecosystem and trust in it. As Maria Reiss said, \"If you cannot tell fact from fiction, you cannot have democracy.\"
In his speech, Guterres identified four key priorities for AI governance: safety, human rights, enhancing potential, and transparency. These principles aim to translate broad global participation into concrete actions and make AI \"safer, fairer, more accessible, and more ethical.\"
The Secretary-General emphasized: \"The question is no longer whether AI will transform our world — it already is. The question is whether we will manage this transformation together — or allow it to manage us.\" He also stated: \"We are the last generation that can establish the rules of coexistence between humanity and machines.\" The dialogue was not aimed at concluding a formal agreement but should lay the foundation for future negotiations and create a common understanding of how to manage a technology that is developing faster than the rules intended to control it.
During the two-day work, a wide range of issues were discussed, reflecting the seven thematic clusters defined by the UN General Assembly resolution. The central theme was overcoming the \"digital divide.\" As noted by Estonia's Ambassador Rein Tammsaar, \"developers of advanced systems are concentrated in two countries [the US and China],\" leaving other states with many questions. Developing countries, in particular, fear that in the worst case, the AI gap will leave them behind forever.
AI safety became another key theme. Bengio warned that science cannot currently guarantee that as AI's capabilities grow, it will not cause \"catastrophic harm.\" Participants emphasized that protective mechanisms are needed throughout the entire lifecycle of systems, not just at the training model stage. Special attention was paid to protecting children from the risks associated with AI.
Human control and accountability were also at the center of discussions. As noted by the President of the General Assembly, Annalena Berbok, \"never before have the pace and scale of changes been so dazzling,\" and \"never has it been so difficult to understand and adapt to these changes.\" She emphasized that \"something with such force, with such deep impact on our economy, social systems, defense, and, therefore, on our world and security, but especially even in our homes, our food, and our children's bedrooms — can only be meaningfully and safely managed collectively.\"
While diplomats discussed rules, the technological landscape continued to change rapidly. 2026 was a turning point in the development of AI. The main trend was the transition from simple generative models to \"agent AI\" — autonomous systems capable of performing multi-step tasks without constant human involvement: from personalized planning to ensuring cybersecurity and assessing health status. More and more leading AI companies are focusing on increasing the ability of models to reason and perform tasks, promoting AI from the ability to \"generate\" to the ability to \"plan.\"
According to IDC forecasts, by 2026, 70% of organizations will use \"composite AI,\" combining generative, process, predictive, and agent technologies. By 2027, the use of AI agents in global companies will increase tenfold, and the number of calls will increase a thousandfold. Global AI spending in 2026 will reach $2.59 trillion, and by 2029, it will reach $700 billion just in the IT sector.
However, with opportunities come new challenges. AI energy consumption has become a critical issue. As Sally Radwan, the Chief Digital Director of the UN Environment Program, noted, \"the future of AI is inseparable from the future of the planet.\" Large-scale deployment of AI requires \"curbing the energy consumption, greenhouse gas emissions, as well as water and material consumption associated with AI.\"
The impact on the labor market also raises concerns. Studies show that 48% of companies have reduced staff due to AI. At the same time, new professions and skill requirements are emerging: by 2027, 75% of hiring processes will include testing AI skills. Generative AI and AI agents will create the first major challenge to mass productivity tools in the last 30 years, leading to market changes totaling $58 billion.
Another important trend is \"sovereign AI.\" By 2027, 35% of countries will use regional AI platforms based on their own proprietary data. This reflects the desire of states to maintain control over their data and technological infrastructure in the face of growing geopolitical competition.
The UN Global Dialogue on AI Governance has responded to the challenge formulated by Guterres with great clarity: \"The choice before us is between project-based management and default drift.\" The President of the General Assembly, Annalena Berbok, reminded that the UN Charter, adopted 81 years ago, obliges us to \"achieve international cooperation in solving international problems of an economic, social, cultural, or humanitarian nature.\" AI is just such a problem.
\"Something with such power needs a global platform. It needs the United Nations,\" said Berbok. And that is true. A technology that can reshape the economy, change the world of work, influence elections, and change the balance of power cannot be left to the discretion of a few countries or corporations.
The Global Dialogue has begun a long journey. It did not provide ready-made solutions but created space for their development. It confirmed that the future of AI will be determined not only by technological capabilities but also by political will, international cooperation, and commitment to fundamental values — human rights, justice, and democratic control. As Joshua Bengio said, \"We need a coordinated international and democratic approach where science and compassion remain our compass in navigating AI.\"
The question is no longer whether AI will transform our world. It already is. The question is whether we will manage this transformation together — or allow it to manage us. And the answer to this question will determine not only the future of technology but also the future of humanity itself.
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