The President of the European Council, António Costa, defended this Thursday before the United Nations General Assembly that the progress of Artificial Intelligence (AI) should take place at a "safe" pace and under clear supervision, warning at the same time that "we need an AI at the service of humanity, not controlling it."
"We need an architecture that is accountable, transparent, and regulated," Costa pointed out in his speech, with which he wanted to alert that "the AI industry cannot be regulated by some large global companies."
"We must always be in the driver's seat," reiterated the former Portuguese Prime Minister, who also argued that the United Nations should play a "central role" in setting international norms and standards for this sector.
In this line, he emphasized that the UN must "remain at the center of the multilateral system," despite the "pressure" that the international organization faces "due to geopolitical polarization, financial limitations, and institutional deficiencies."
In this scenario, the socialist leader stressed that "the answer is not withdrawal," but it must go through "reforming, renewing, and reinvesting."
"The UN80 initiative offers an opportunity to make the United Nations more efficient and effective," he indicated, before recalling that, in parallel, the European Union continues to demand a broad reform of the UN Security Council to make it "more effective, inclusive, democratic, and accountable."
In this framework, Costa emphasized that the European Union "will continue to contribute to strengthening the United Nations politically, financially, and through concrete actions."
The President of the European Council opened his speech by recalling that "multilateralism is not a thing of the past, (but) it is the only realistic way to address today's problems."
Defense of the ICC and the ICJ
Costa also took advantage of his speech to emphasize that "there cannot be two standards" in the application of International Law and lamented that the world is witnessing "deliberate violations" of the international order, warning that "defending International Law is not an option, but a responsibility."
Consequently, the president of the European Council has claimed that this commitment implies "protecting the institutions" that support these principles, particularly the International Court of Justice (ICJ) and the International Criminal Court (ICC).
"We firmly support them and will defend their independence, their integrity, and their ability to fully exercise their mandate. The threats and attacks against the ICC, its officials, and its staff are unacceptable," he stated, emphasizing afterwards that this responsibility "cannot depend on considerations of political opportunity."
To conclude, Costa emphasized that Human Rights "apply everywhere: in Ukraine, in the Middle East, in Africa, in Asia, and in Latin America," and stressed that conflicts never remain as something "purely local," but end up generating "repercussions on food security, energy markets, migration, development, and global stability."