Statement: The Elders call for continued leadership from the United Nations and member states to drive forward inclusive global governance of Artificial Intelligence (AI). Such leadership is essential to implementing the welcome provisions on AI in the Global Digital Compact adopted at the Summit of the Future.

The Elders urge world leaders to treat the issue of AI safety with the utmost seriousness, and to implement the Compact. The UN must continue to engage all member states on the Compact’s implementation plan, in particular on the timely proposals for an international scientific panel and a global dialogue on AI governance.

We reiterate our view that AI has the potential to bring great benefits to human life, including health, education and other aspects of the UN Sustainable Development Goals. However, without proper global governance, supported by meaningful and enforceable regulation, the extraordinary rate of technological progress AI is bringing poses an existential threat to humanity, as well as more immediate risks.

We applaud recent initiatives in AI governance at regional, national and sub-national levels, as well as convenings by governments, scientists and industry leaders. The AI safety summit series has brought welcome collaboration between the United States of America and China, as well as the proposal of an international network of AI Safety Institutes. These efforts are crucial to building and strengthening the legal and technical guardrails needed to keep this transformative technology safe and secure.

This diversity of approaches can provide vital insights and differing perspectives on AI governance. But there is an urgent need to harmonise these efforts. A coordinated approach will ensure that all nations participate in shaping the future of AI, not just those with advanced AI capabilities, that knowledge and expertise is shared, and governance decisions are based on the global public good.

We welcome the recommendation from the UN Secretary-General's High-level Advisory Body on AI that the UN play a connecting role in the international AI governance ecosystem. The UN could foster the more comprehensive and equitable approach that is so urgently needed.

Only through collective effort and shared responsibility can we ensure that AI becomes a force for good benefiting all of humanity, and that risks are mitigated. The Global Digital Compact and High-level Advisory Body report remind us that the governance of AI should be as diverse and inclusive as the world it seeks to serve.

ENDS

Mary Robinson, former President of Ireland and Chair of The Elders

Ban Ki-moon, former UN Secretary-General and Deputy Chair of The Elders

Graça Machel, Founder of the Graça Machel Trust, Co-founder and Deputy Chair of The Elders 

Gro Harlem Brundtland, former Prime Minister of Norway and former Director-General of the WHO

Helen Clark, former Prime Minister of New Zealand and former head of the UN Development Programme

Elbegdorj Tsakhia, former President and Prime Minister of Mongolia

Zeid Ra'ad Al Hussein, former UN High Commissioner for Human Rights

Hina Jilani, Advocate of the Supreme Court of Pakistan and co-chair of the Taskforce on Justice

Denis Mukwege, physician and human rights advocate, Nobel Peace Laureate

Ellen Johnson Sirleaf, former President of Liberia and Nobel Peace Laureate

Juan Manuel Santos, former President of Colombia and Nobel Peace Laureate

Ernesto Zedillo, former President of Mexico

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