Artificial Intelligence pioneer Geoffrey Hinton has called for urgent global regulation of AI, warning that the technology’s rapid growth without proper safeguards could pose serious risks to society. Speaking at the Digital World Conference on AI for Social Development, co-organized by the United Nations Research Institute for Social Development, Hinton compared AI to “a very fast car with no steering wheel,” stressing the need for governance mechanisms to guide its development responsibly.
His remarks come amid intensified global discussions on AI governance, as governments and UN bodies work to address challenges related to transparency, accountability and risk management. The United Nations Conference on Trade and Development estimates that the global AI market could expand from $189 billion in 2023 to $4.8 trillion by 2033, highlighting both its transformative potential and the urgency of regulation.
However, this rapid expansion is not evenly distributed. Pedro Manuel Moreno warned that the ability to develop and control AI remains concentrated in a small number of countries and corporations, raising concerns about widening global inequalities. Similarly, Doreen Bogdan-Martin of the International Telecommunication Union noted that adoption of generative AI is progressing much faster in developed nations than in the Global South, potentially deepening the digital divide.
Discussions at the conference emphasized the importance of rights-based AI governance, particularly to address issues such as algorithmic bias, lack of transparency and the concentration of data among a few powerful companies. Participants also explored AI’s growing influence across sectors including social protection, labour markets, education and clean energy, while underscoring the need to protect vulnerable populations and ensure equitable access to its benefits.
Efforts to build a scientific foundation for AI policymaking are also underway. The UN’s Independent International Scientific Panel on AI recently held its first in-person meeting in Madrid, co-chaired by Maria Ressa and Yoshua Bengio. Ressa warned that advanced AI tools are already being used to spread misinformation at scale, weaken democratic institutions and enable what she described as “narrative warfare.”
The panel’s findings will contribute to the upcoming Global Dialogue on Artificial Intelligence Governance, a UN-led initiative bringing together all 193 member states along with stakeholders from industry, academia and civil society. According to Amandeep Gill, the goal is to create evidence-based, inclusive policies that can guide AI development in a way that benefits all of humanity while minimizing its risks.
