Updated ,first published
New York: Australia has joined a call for international safeguards on artificial intelligence amid warnings from scientists and industry executives that the rapid development of powerful systems could outpace governments’ ability to control emerging risks.
At the United Nations in New York, Prime Minister Anthony Albanese was among a group of 22 signatories to a declaration with leaders including Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen and German Chancellor Friedrich Merz calling for mandatory safety testing, independent evaluations and greater international oversight of so-called frontier AI models.
The declaration, released at 2am (AEST), warns that capable AI systems have already been seen circumventing testing safeguards, exploiting vulnerabilities and gaining unauthorised access to real-world systems.
“Leading scientists and executives are warning that the pace of development could outpace our ability to manage emerging risks,” the statement said, which was also co-signed by Ireland, Singapore, Spain, South Africa, Turkey and the United Arab Emirates.
It called for a UN-style international organisation that would set standards and oversee AI use.
The leaders stopped short of calling for a halt to development, instead arguing that AI’s potential to improve lives, advance science and strengthen economies should be preserved while stronger controls are imposed.
“AI must remain under human direction, oversight and control,” they said, insisting that it must be developed and used in accordance with international law.
Its release comes ahead of Thursday’s meeting between US President Donald Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping, with AI expected to be a major topic of discussion.
Albanese has cited Australia’s role in shaping international rules for AI as a key plank of its bid for a seat on the UN Security Council. He said he hoped for a positive meeting between Trump and Xi.
The US and China are locked in a race to develop increasingly powerful AI systems, while Washington and Beijing have resisted calls from industry figures including Anthropic chief Dario Amodei, backed by OpenAI’s Sam Altman, to slow the development of frontier models amid warnings that humans could lose control. Neither the US nor China are part of the new declaration.
The declaration calls on AI companies to develop transparent safety protocols, including mandatory testing before systems are deployed and independent assessments by qualified evaluators given sufficient access to identify risks.
Governments and regional organisations are also urged to develop common standards, strengthen transparency and share reports of serious AI safety incidents.
Albanese said AI had the potential to improve lives, strengthen the economy and productivity, and advance science and medical breakthroughs, but “humans need to be in control of it”.
He said he had played a central role in the statement through conversations with Finnish President Alexander Stubb, who initiated the declaration along with Norway’s Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Støre.
He said Australians wanted to know that “artificial intelligence won’t be in control of us” and that governments needed to shape how the technology rolled out.
“Artificial intelligence will have a massive impact on the way that our lives and our work is conducted,” he said, arguing that humans needed to remain “at the centre of it” and in control.
The leaders want countries across all regions to have access to the scientific expertise, technical capacity and trusted evaluation needed to assess advanced AI systems.
The declaration also calls on UN member states to explore creating an international institution that could set standards, enable verification and convene governments when AI systems cross agreed capability thresholds.
The group warned that efforts to control frontier AI should not widen the gap between countries with access to the technology and those unable to benefit from its advances.
Albanese will also later join leaders at a new summit aimed at shoring up the multilateral system and international law amid rising geopolitical tensions.
The “Partners for Multilateralism” summit, co-hosted by European Council President António Costa and Kenyan President William Ruto, brought together leaders including Brazil’s Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, Barbados’ Mia Mottley and India’s Narendra Modi.
In a joint statement, ahead of the meeting, they argued that countries were becoming more economically and technologically interconnected even as conflicts, military spending and geopolitical fragmentation intensify.
The initiative will seek to build cooperation on UN reform, peace and security and emerging challenges including artificial intelligence, climate change, health security and digital transformation.
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Rob Harris is the national correspondent for The Sydney Morning Herald and The Age based in Canberra. He is a former Europe correspondent.Connect via email.From our partners
Disclaimer : This story is auto aggregated by a computer programme and has not been created or edited by DOWNTHENEWS. Publisher: www.smh.com.au
