UN fails to agree on AI controls as US and China resist oversight
World leaders at the UN this week failed to establish international controls on artificial intelligence, leaving the tech industry to police itself despite mounting warnings about existential risks. The push for global safety standards was effectively ignored by the US and China. US President Donald Trump rejected calls for oversight, calling AI "super intelligence" and vowing not to stifle its growth, while Chinese President Xi Jinping skipped the UN assembly for a bilateral meeting. Both agreed only to a bilateral "AI dialogue" with an incident-alert mechanism, falling short of preventative safeguards sought by middle powers like Australia. Australian mining magnate Andrew Forrest, investing billions in renewable-powered AI data centres, warned that unchecked AI "may decide the best way to get rid of climate change is to get rid of humanity." Prime Minister Anthony Albanese avoided direct criticism of Trump, as the UN's inability to unify on AI risks marked a pivotal fracture.