NEW DELHI, February 22 — António Guterres, Secretary-General of the United Nations, emphasized the need for women to play leading roles in shaping artificial intelligence, following what he described as an inspiring meeting with young women in STEM at the India AI Impact Summit.
In a post on X, Guterres said he was encouraged by the interaction and stressed the importance of ensuring women are not only included in the AI revolution but are at the forefront of developing technologies that promote gender equality and serve humanity.
“With AI on the rise, we must ensure women are not just included — but leading — in developing artificial intelligence that serves everyone and advances gender equality,” he said.
Under the vision outlined in the UN 2.0 Policy Brief, Guterres is advocating for a proactive approach across the UN system to harness emerging technologies such as AI. The initiative aims to address gender inequality, reduce bias in AI data models, and expand the use of predictive and prescriptive analytics powered by machine learning and artificial intelligence.
Speaking at the Global AI Impact Summit 2026 in New Delhi, Guterres also called for global cooperation to ensure AI benefits humanity while minimizing risks. He warned that rapid advances in AI are outpacing society’s ability to fully understand and regulate the technology.
“We are barreling into the unknown. AI innovation is moving at the speed of light, outpacing our collective ability to fully understand it. If we want AI to serve humanity, policy cannot be built on guesswork,” he said. “We need facts we can trust and share across countries and across sectors. Less noise, more knowledge.”
Guterres highlighted steps taken by the United Nations to strengthen international cooperation on AI governance, including the creation of an Independent International Scientific Panel on Artificial Intelligence. The panel, confirmed by the UN General Assembly and composed of 40 global experts, aims to assess AI’s real-world impacts and help close knowledge gaps across countries with varying levels of technological capacity.
He said the panel would provide evidence-based analysis to support coordinated policymaking and guide global AI governance discussions, with its first report expected ahead of an international dialogue on AI governance scheduled for July.
The India AI Impact Summit 2026, held from February 16 to 20, brought together policymakers, industry leaders, academics, and civil society representatives from around the world to discuss responsible AI governance and inclusive technological advancement.
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