NEW DELHI — United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres urged world leaders Saturday to create a $3 billion global fund for artificial intelligence, stressing that AI must serve everyone and not widen global divides. At the India AI Impact Summit 2026 held at Bharat Mandapam, Guterres praised India for hosting the first major AI summit in the Global South.

“Prime Minister Modi, thank you for your kind invitation and congratulations for India’s leadership,” Guterres said. He called for global guardrails to enforce accountability in AI development and pushed for the fund to build basic capacity across nations.

Without swift action, Guterres cautioned, many countries could miss out on AI’s benefits entirely. “The future of artificial intelligence must not be shaped by a handful of countries or controlled by a few billionaires,” he declared, according to summit organizers. AI’s rapid transformation of societies and economies demands inclusive, globally representative governance, he added.

Guterres set ‘build AI for everyone with dignity’ as the guiding principle. Real progress, he said, comes from technology that enhances lives and safeguards the planet. Safety tops the list: AI must shield people from exploitation, manipulation and abuse.

He directly tackled job displacement fears. Investments in workers are essential, Guterres argued, so AI augments human potential instead of erasing jobs. Broader challenges loom too—social rifts, economic shocks and ecological strain from AI’s unchecked spread.

AI’s massive energy and water needs pose environmental risks. “Data centres and supply chains must switch to clean power—not shift costs to vulnerable communities,” Guterres stated. He also flagged social media’s harm to children, insisting no child should serve as a guinea pig for unregulated AI experiments.

Yet Guterres highlighted AI’s upsides. The technology can propel the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals, speed up medical discoveries, shore up food security, ramp up climate action and disaster readiness, broaden access to public services and transform education.

India’s role in this arena carries weight, Guterres noted. Hosting the summit signals the Global South’s determination to shape AI’s trajectory. His remarks come amid surging global AI investments, mostly concentrated in the U.S., China and Europe, leaving developing nations behind.

Officials at the summit said discussions will continue on practical steps for the proposed fund. Guterres’ blueprint aims to level the playing field, ensuring AI supports equity rather than entrenching inequality.