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The initiative, which kicks off at the 80th UN General Assembly in New York this Monday, urges the government to agree by 2026 on a set of “red lines” regarding the use of AI, which is considered too harmful to be permitted under all circumstances.
Among the signatories are former Italian Prime Minister Enrico Letta, former President of Ireland's Mary Robinson (now the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights), members of the European Parliament of the Italian Socialist MEP, who co-chairs the AI Working Group of the European Parliament, and members of the Italian Socialist MEP, which includes the technology of Sergei Lagodins (Germany/Green), including Sergei Lagodinsky (Germany/Green). of engineering.
Signatories argue that without global standards, humanity is at risk of facing AI-driven threats, ranging from designed pandemics and disinformation campaigns to massive human rights violations and loss of human control over sophisticated systems.
The campaign's breadth is unprecedented, with over 200 well-known figures and 70 organisations supporting calls from politics, science, human rights and industry. Technology leaders at Openai, Google Deepmind and Anthropic also lended their names to appeal.
AI and mental health risks
This move comes amid growing concern over the real-world impact of already used AI systems. Recent research published in Psychiatric Services We found that major chatbots, including ChatGpt, Claude and Google's Gemini, gave inconsistent answers to questions about suicide.
Researchers warned that such gaps could exacerbate the mental health crisis. Some deaths from suicide are related to conversations with AI systems, raising questions about how businesses can protect users from harm.
Cross-border efforts
Supporters of the UN initiative say these examples show why more clearer restrictions are needed. Nobel Peace Prize Laureate Maria Russa warned that without safeguards, AI could fuel “epistemological disruption” and enable systematic abuse of human rights. Yoshua Bengio, one of the “godfathers” of AI, emphasized that competition to develop stronger models presents risks.
The global “red line” suggested by the signatories has been used in other cases, such as international treaties banning biological weapons, human cloning, or the high seas treaty signed earlier this year. They welcome EU laws on AI, but warn that fragmented patchwork of national and EU regulations is not sufficient to regulate technology that crosses boundaries by design.
They are seeking the creation of independent institutions or organizations to address the implementation of these rules.
Supporters hope that negotiations on a binding ban will begin quickly to prevent Ahmet Omchu, the former director of the Chemical Weapons Prohibition Agency, known as “irreversible damage to humanity.”
If the campaign doesn't advocate for a specific “red line,” it suggests some basic bans to prevent AI systems from launching nuclear attacks, mass surveillance, and impersonating humans.
Countries, including US, China and EU members, have drafted their own AI regulations, but signers argue that only global contracts can be made that ensure that common standards are applied and enforced.
They hope that by the end of 2026, a resolution from the UN General Assembly could begin and negotiations for a global treaty could begin.
