António Guterres

Secretary-General of the United Nations who has warned the Security Council and General Assembly that AI carries catastrophic and existential risks, calls for a ban on autonomous weapons, and launched the UN’s independent scientific panel on AI.

Roles

Oct 1995 – Apr 2002Prime Minister, PortugalSource →
Jun 2005 – Dec 2015High Commissioner for Refugees, United NationsSource →
Jan 2017 – presentSecretary-General, United NationsSecond term runs to 31 December 2026.Source →

On the record

6 Jul 2026 · Speech · UN Global Dialogue on AI Governance, Geneva
No child should be a guinea pig for unregulated AI…We do not let medicine reach a child until it is proven safe. We test every toy; yet AI has reached our children
Secretary-General, United Nations at the time
Same address; "in every high-stakes decision … machines can inform, but humans must decide – and answer."
From AI to ‘killer robots’: UN chief issues urgent governance call →
1 Jul 2026 · Statement · Launch of the preliminary report of the Independent International Scientific Panel on AI
We can no longer say we did not know. What we do with it is now up to all of us.
Secretary-General, United Nations at the time
Also told governments "my message to governments is simple: do not wait"; the panel found no guarantee frontier systems will avoid catastrophic harm.
‘The science is here’: UN chief welcomes first global AI assessment →
24 Sept 2025 · Speech · UN Security Council open debate on AI and international peace and security
AI is no longer a distant horizon – it is here, transforming daily life, the information space, and the global economy at breathtaking speed
Secretary-General, United Nations at the time
Same speech; "humanity's fate cannot be left to an algorithm" and a renewed call to ban lethal autonomous weapons operating without human control.
AI must not decide humanity's fate, UN chief warns Security Council →
18 Jul 2023 · Speech · UN Security Council, first debate on artificial intelligence
Generative AI has enormous potential for good and evil at scale. Its creators themselves have warned that much bigger, potentially catastrophic and existential risks lie ahead.
Secretary-General, United Nations at the time
Words confirmed verbatim on the UNCTAD eTrade-for-all mirror of the remarks; the un.org page itself did not load here. He also welcomed a new UN entity on AI modelled on the IAEA.
Secretary-General's remarks to the Security Council on Artificial Intelligence →