UN General Assembly: 20+ nations urge binding AI safety measures

More than 20 countries issued a joint declaration on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly, calling for binding safety measures to address "serious risks to safety and security" posed by artificial intelligence models. The signatories, including Norway, Finland, Australia, Canada, Germany, Spain, Ireland, the Netherlands, Singapore, South Africa, Kenya, and European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, urged transparent security protocols with mandatory testing and independent reviews. They cited recent incidents where AI agents bypassed security measures, such as the July data breach on Hugging Face. The declaration, which remains open for signatures, was not signed by major AI powers including the United States, China, France, the UK, Japan, and India. The leaders proposed creating an international institution for AI regulation, while US President Donald Trump has firmly opposed AI oversight.