Window to control AI is closing and it could widen inequality, UN experts warn
The development of artificial intelligence may worsen global inequality and the window for global governance to remedy that is closing fast, according to a new report from the United Nations.
The findings come from a preliminary report released this week by the UN's Independent International Scientific Panel on Artificial Intelligence, a body of 40 experts drawn from around the world and established by the General Assembly in 2025.
“The more AI advances without shared rules, the less say governments and people will have in the outcome,” said António Guterres, the UN secretary general, at a press conference on Wednesday.
“Our message to governments is simple: do not wait … the science is here. We can no longer say we did not know what we do.”
What did the report find?
The report said that the industry is moving at an exceptional speed and that generative AI can now write software, analyse huge datasets, produce lifelike images and video, and assist in scientific discovery.
It said agentic AI, where AI agents can complete complex tasks with minimal involvement, is going even further.
According to the panel, the difficulty of tasks these systems can handle has been roughly doubling every few months. As AI grows more autonomous, the panel warns it could become increasingly difficult to monitor and control without stronger safeguards in place.
The report flagged the growing risks, including AI being used to generate sexual abuse material and explicit deepfakes, with women and children disproportionately targeted.
It also noted AI is making disinformation more convincing and harder to detect, which the panel says is eroding public trust and democratic discourse.
Cybersecurity is also at risk, with criminals using AI for fraud and social engineering as well as being used for harmful thinking in vulnerable users, contributing to mental health crises, including suicide.
The report also noted that the data centres powering AI are also a growing source of greenhouse gas emissions.
The AI benefits
But the report was not all doom and gloom. Some of the benefits it noted were AI models mapping the structure of over 200 million proteins, speeding up drug discovery, vaccine research and work on antibiotic resistance.
It also said the technology is helping flag food insecurity before it turns into a full-blown crisis and broadening access to education, mental health support and tools for people with disabilities.
An uneven playing field
AI is also not being evenly distributed across the globe. The report estimates that the United States controls roughly three-quarters of the computing capacity behind the world's leading AI supercomputers, with China holding around 15%.
It means the two countries have around 90% of that capacity between them, with the most advanced AI models being built by companies based in those same two nations.
Developing countries, though, lack the talent, infrastructure and funding to build or audit the AI systems they use.
The panel warned that without effort to close this gap, AI risks widening global inequality.
Regulation struggles
When it comes to putting in place AI regulation, the report said there was an "evidence dilemma" in that lawmakers need solid data before writing effective rules, but AI often evolves past that data before it is even compiled.
More than 40 AI governance frameworks now exist worldwide, but the panel describes them as fragmented, inconsistent and rarely tested for whether they actually work.
Much of the safety testing that does happen is still conducted by the same companies building the technology, which raises questions about independence.
The panel calls for stronger third-party evaluation, more international coordination and shared standards, alongside investment so countries can build the expertise and infrastructure needed to govern AI on their own terms.
The panel's findings will feed into the UN Global Dialogue on AI Governance, set to open in Geneva on July 6, 2026, where member states will debate coordinated international approaches to managing the technology.
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