The United Nations unanimously passed a resolution on Thursday to promote safe and trustworthy development of artificial intelligence (AI), marking a significant global effort to align nations on this technology. Led by the United States, the initiative involved three months of negotiations with U. N. member countries. During over 40 hours of sessions, U. S. officials engaged in intense discussions with adversaries like Russia and China to shape the resolution, as stated by a senior Biden administration official who briefed reporters on the private negotiations on condition of anonymity. The official highlighted that the unanimous adoption of the resolution by the United Nations indicates AI's ability to transcend geopolitical divisions. "We generally incorporated most of their proposed edits, " the official remarked, referring to Russia, China, and Cuba. This resolution aims to assert U. S. leadership in global AI development, as the Biden administration strives to expand its influence within the intergovernmental organization.

However, while the European Union and other countries are already advancing with AI legislation, U. S. legislators are still in the early stages of crafting their own regulations. The resolution intends to prioritize human rights. Nonetheless, it lacks enforcement mechanisms to ensure compliance, and China is already putting forth regulations that would require generative AI systems, such as ChatGPT, to adhere to their core socialist values. Building upon prior international AI agreements, this broad consensus reflects the Bletchley Declaration signed last year by the United States, China, the European Union, Britain, and over 20 other countries. The Bletchley Declaration aimed to address existential safety risks associated with AI and promote international collaboration in research. However, to address concerns about excluding developing nations from previous international AI agreements, the Biden administration pursued a new agreement with the United Nations.