NEW YORK - Although artificial intelligence (AI) has been quietly helping humanity for decades - with progress accelerating in recent years - 2023 will be remembered as a ‘big bang’ moment. With the advent of generative AI, the technology has broken through into the popular consciousness and is shaping public discourse, influencing investment and economic activity, sparking geopolitical competition, and changing all manner of human activities, from education to healthcare to the arts. Each week seemingly brings some new breathtaking development. AI is not going away, and the pace of change is accelerating.

Policymaking is moving almost as fast, with the launch of new regulatory initiatives and forums seeking to meet the moment. While ongoing efforts by the Group of Seven - an intergovernmental  forum comprising Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, the United Kingdom and the United States - the European Union, and the US are encouraging, none of them can claim to be universal or to represent the global commons. Much AI development thus far has been driven by a handful of top executives and market actors in just a few countries, while the voices of the majority - particularly from the Global South - have been largely absent from governance discussions.

The unique challenges AI poses demand a coordinated global approach to governance, and only one institution - the United Nations - has the inclusive legitimacy needed to organize such a response. The world