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UN Calls For Human-Centred Approach As Artificial Intelligence Rapidly Expands

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Artificial intelligence is rapidly reshaping everyday life, transforming industries, workplaces and communication systems around the world. While the technology promises major benefits, the United Nations is urging governments and companies to adopt a “people-first” approach to ensure AI serves humanity rather than undermining it.

UN Secretary-General António Guterres has repeatedly warned that the growing influence of automated systems should never come at the cost of human oversight.

Speaking before the UN Security Council in 2024, he cautioned that humanity’s future “must never be left to the ‘black box’ of an algorithm,” stressing that humans must remain responsible for decisions made using artificial intelligence.

In response to the rapid spread of AI technologies, the UN system has been working to develop global frameworks for ethical governance. These efforts draw heavily on principles outlined in the Global Digital Compact and other international guidelines designed to ensure the technology supports sustainable development and human rights.

Education Seen As Foundation For AI Future

Education is emerging as a central pillar in the UN’s strategy for adapting societies to the rise of artificial intelligence.

Experts warn that preparing people for an AI-driven world requires more than simply introducing new technologies into classrooms. Instead, students and educators must develop a strong understanding of how AI systems work and how they affect society.

Shafika Isaacs, who leads technology and AI programmes in education at UNESCO, says the global education system faces an urgent challenge in preparing future generations.

“The global education system will need 44 million teachers by 2030,” she said, warning against the idea that technology alone can replace human educators.

Isaacs emphasised that while AI tools can assist with data analysis and information delivery, education remains fundamentally a human experience shaped by social interaction, cultural understanding and mentorship.

AI May Transform Jobs Rather Than Eliminate Them

One of the biggest concerns surrounding artificial intelligence is the potential impact on employment.

A report by the World Economic Forum in 2025 estimated that about 41 percent of employers expected to reduce parts of their workforce because of AI automation.

However, the International Labour Organization suggests the broader picture may be more complex.

According to its research, roughly one in four jobs worldwide could be transformed by AI technologies. While some positions may disappear, new roles that combine human skills with machine capabilities are also likely to emerge.

Machines excel at analysing patterns, processing large volumes of data and performing repetitive tasks. But creativity, ethical judgment, problem-solving and complex interpersonal interactions remain areas where human abilities continue to play a critical role.

As a result, experts believe workers will need to adapt to a future where continuous training and lifelong learning become essential parts of professional life.

Access To AI Must Be Widely Shared

Another major concern for the United Nations is the growing concentration of AI development among a small number of powerful technology companies.

Without broader access to the technology, the UN warns that the benefits of artificial intelligence could deepen global inequalities between countries and communities.

To address this risk, UN strategies call for policies that ensure AI tools and infrastructure are accessible across different regions and economic groups.

These policies include investment in digital education, technology infrastructure and inclusive governance frameworks so that AI innovations are not limited to technologically advanced economies.

Human Rights Must Guide AI Development

The UN has also repeatedly emphasised that human rights protections must form the foundation of AI governance.

In 2021, UNESCO adopted the Recommendation on the Ethics of Artificial Intelligence following extensive consultations with governments, technology experts and civil society organisations.

The document outlines principles designed to ensure that AI systems respect human dignity, equality and freedom. It also calls on governments to regulate technologies that could threaten fundamental rights.

Under the guidelines, tools that promote discrimination, undermine privacy or restrict individual freedoms should be restricted or banned.

Global Cooperation Essential

Because artificial intelligence operates across borders, the United Nations says international cooperation will be crucial in shaping its future.

No single government, company or institution can fully address the opportunities and risks associated with the technology alone.

UN officials are therefore calling for stronger global dialogue on AI governance, ethical standards and regulatory frameworks.

These efforts could include international platforms to coordinate policies, partnerships between governments and the private sector, and large-scale investments in education and workforce training.

As AI continues to evolve at unprecedented speed, the UN argues that global cooperation will be key to ensuring that technological progress benefits all of humanity rather than widening existing divides.

Plastic pollution talks adjourn, but countries want to stay engaged: UNEP chief

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“This has been a hard-fought 10 days against the backdrop of geopolitical complexities, economic challenges and multilateral strains,” said Inger Andersen, Executive Director of the UN Environment Programme (UNEP). “However, one thing remains clear: despite these complexities, all countries clearly want to remain at the table.”   

Speaking to media at the end of Intergovernmental Negotiating Committee (INC) talks at the UN in the Swiss city, Ms. Andersen emphasized how Member States had expressed a clear wish to continue engaging in the process, recognising their significant differences regarding plastic pollution.

“While we did not land the treaty text we hoped for, we at UNEP will continue the work against plastic pollution – pollution that is in our groundwater, in our soil, in our rivers, in our oceans and yes, in our bodies,” she said.

World view

“People are demanding a treaty,” the UN agency head continued, before underscoring the hard work that lies ahead to maintain the momentum needed to ink a binding international accord.

Delegates from 183 nations attested to the convening power and importance of the proposed agreement, with some Pacific island representatives – complete with dazzling fresh blooms in their hair – rubbing shoulders with other participants, drained by the final all-night negotiating session.

The resumed fifth session of talks – referred to as INC-5.2, after previous talks in Busan known as INC-5.1 – gathered more than 2,600 participants at the UN Palais des Nations. In addition to the approximately 1,400 country delegates, there were close to 1,000 observers representing at least 400 organizations.

NGO voices heard

The session also involved the active participation of civil society – including Indigenous Peoples, waste pickers, artists, young people and scientists. They raised their voices through protests, art installations, press briefings and events in and around the Palace of Nations.

The goal of the negotiations was to agree on a text for the legally binding instrument to end plastic pollution “and highlight unresolved issues requiring further preparatory work ahead of a diplomatic conference”, UNEP said.

In addition to meetings together in UN Geneva’s vast assembly hall, four contact groups were created to tackle key issues including plastic design, chemicals of concern, production caps, finance and compliance instruments.

Despite “intensive engagement”, Members of the Intergovernmental Negotiating Committee was unable to reach consensus on the proposed texts, UNEP explained.

Chair’s action call

“Failing to reach the goal we set for ourselves may bring sadness, even frustration. Yet it should not lead to discouragement. On the contrary, it should spur us to regain our energy, renew our commitments, and unite our aspirations,” said INC Chair, Luis Vayas Valdivieso.

“It has not happened yet in Geneva, but I have no doubt that the day will come when the international community will unite its will and join hands to protect our environment and safeguard the health of our people.” 

The INC process began in March 2022 when the UN Environment Assembly passed resolution 5.2 to develop an international legally binding instrument on plastic pollution, including in the marine environment.   

“As this session concludes, we leave with an understanding of the challenges ahead and a renewed and shared commitment to address them,” said Jyoti Mathur-Filipp, Executive Secretary of the INC Secretariat. “Progress must now be our obligation.”  

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UN envoy urges Colombia to ‘stay the course’ as peace faces new strains

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Briefing the Security Council for the last time as head of the UN Verification Mission, Special Representative Carlos Ruiz Massieu said the peace agreement provided a roadmap for addressing the root causes of conflict.

“The Final Peace Agreement of 2016 set out the path to be followed: a holistic and comprehensive roadmap for addressing deep-rooted structural issues that have driven violence in Colombia for decades,” he told ambassadors.

He cited progress in land reform, rural development, the reintegration of more than 13,000 former combatants, the start of a “complex journey” for truth and reconciliation and opening of political space.

“Today, Colombia is a very different country from that it was in the years prior to the signing of the peace agreement,” he added, noting, however, that gaps and challenges remain.

SRSG Ruiz Massieu briefs the Security Council.

Violence persists

Chief among these is the limited presence of civilian and military state institutions in various regions of the country where existing peace dividends remain inadequate and violence persists, including against social leaders and ex-combatants.

At least 472 former fighters have been killed since 2016, four in recent weeks alone, Mr. Ruiz Massieu said, urging measures to strengthen their protection and ensure accountability.

“It is also essential to achieve effective complementarity between peacebuilding policies, security strategies and efforts to combat illicit economies,” he added.

Painful moments revived

Mr. Ruiz Massieu highlighted progress on opening political space, noting “a widespread rejection of political violence”, but warning that the attempted assassination of presidential candidate Miguel Uribe in June revived painful memories and underscored the need to remove violence from electoral competition.

To address persistent insecurity, he urged full implementation of security guarantees alongside rural development programmes and strategies to combat illicit economies.

“Expanded and sustained state presence remains essential,” he said, stressing the need for coordinated investments in conflict-prone regions.

A wide view of the Security Council meeting on the UN Verification Mission in Colombia (UNVMC).

Upcoming elections

The briefing also comes as Colombia enters a sensitive period leading to elections next year.

Mr. Ruiz Massieu appealed to all actors to uphold commitments for a peaceful campaign and to advance the comprehensive vision of the 2016 accord, which includes provisions for women as well as Afro-Colombian and Indigenous communities.

“In their pursuit of peace, Colombians have a deeply rooted history of resilience and persistence,” he said. “Sometimes their efforts have not yielded the expected results, but other times, thanks to patience and perseverance, they have achieved significant progress.”

Path to peace is never easy

“The path to peace is never easy, nor is it free of obstacles. But, staying the course is always worthwhile,” he concluded. “The 2016 peace agreement is a striking example of this.”

Mr. Ruiz Massieu, who has led the mission for more than six years, will soon assume duties as the Special Representative of the UN Secretary-General for Haiti.

He thanked the Council for its “consistent and crucial” support, adding that the UN mission’s role in fostering trust “will remain as important as ever in the period ahead”.

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Supreme Court issues stay on Govt’s Fact-Checking Unit

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On Thursday, the Supreme Court issued a stay on the Union’s notification regarding the establishment of the Fact-Check Unit (FCU) in accordance with the IT Amendment Rules 2023. This stay will remain in effect until the Bombay High Court reaches a final decision on the challenges to the IT Rules amendment of 2023. The Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology had recently designated the Press Information Bureau as the FCU.

The Supreme Court’s decision to issue the stay was made without expressing a definitive opinion on the merits of the ongoing challenge to the Rules before the Bombay High Court. However, the Court found prima facie grounds to stay the March 20 notification, which would have made the contested Rules operational. Additionally, the Supreme Court overturned the Bombay High Court’s March 11 order, which had denied a stay on the implementation of the Rules and subsequently allowed the Centre to notify the FCU. The Court noted that the challenge to the rules presents “serious constitutional questions” and emphasized the need for analysis by the High Court regarding the impact of the amended Rule 3(1)(b)(v) on the fundamental right to freedom of speech and expression.

The bench, consisting of Chief Justice DY Chandrachud, Justices JB Pardiwala, and Manoj Misra, heard Special Leave Petitions filed by Kunal Kamra, Editors Guild of India, and the Association of Indian Magazines, challenging the Bombay High Court’s refusal to stay the implementation of the IT Rules 2023. During the proceedings, Senior Advocate Darius Khambata, representing comedian Kunal Kamra, presented several arguments: firstly, that having an FCU exclusively for the Union Government is arbitrary; secondly, that the FCU could lead to the dissemination of only the Government’s perspective; and thirdly, that with elections approaching, the FCU could be exploited as a means for the Union to control the flow of information to voters.

“Why is the FCU only for the Central Govt? Why isn’t there an independent body for everyone, rather than just for the Central Govt.? If the objective is to combat fake news, then everyone is impacted by it.”

 

Should I stay or should I leave?

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Knowing whether to stay in or leave a romantic relationship is often an agonizing experience and that ambivalence can have negative consequences for health and well-being.

Now a new study offers insights into what people are deliberating about and what makes the decision so difficult, which could help therapists working with couples and stimulate further research into the decision-making process.

The study, led by U psychology professor Samantha Joel, was published in Social Psychology and Personality Science. Co-authors were Geoff MacDonald and Elizabeth Page-Gould of the University of Toronto.

“Most of the research on breakups has been predictive, trying to predict whether a couple stays together or not, but we don’t know much about the decision process — what are the specific relationship pros and cons that people are weighing out,” Joel said.

In the first phase of the study, the researchers recruited three samples of people — including people who were in the midst of trying to decide whether to break up or not — to participate in an anonymous survey.

Participants were asked open-ended questions about their specific reasons for both wanting to stay and leave a relationship.

That yielded a list of 27 different reasons for wanting to stay in a relationship and 23 reasons for wanting to leave.

The stay/leave factors were then converted into a questionnaire that was given to another group of people who were trying to decide whether to end a dating relationship or marriage. Those dating had been together for two years on average, while married participants reported relationships that averaged nine years.

In both studies, general factors considered as the individuals deliberated what to do were similar.

At the top of the stay list: emotional intimacy, investment and a sense of obligation. At the top of the leave list: issues with a partner’s personality, breach of trust and partner withdrawal.

Individuals in both dating and married situations gave similar reasons for wanting to leave a relationship.

But the researchers found significant differences in stay reasoning between the two groups.

Participants who were in a dating relationship said they were considering staying based on more positive reasons such as aspects of their partner’s personality that they like, emotional intimacy and enjoyment of the relationship. Those who were married gave more constraint reasons for staying such as investment into the relationship, family responsibilities, fear of uncertainty and logistical barriers.

And about half of the participants said they had reasons to both stay and leave, indicating ambivalence about their relationships.

“What was most interesting to me was how ambivalent people felt about their relationships. They felt really torn,” Joel said. “Breaking up can be a really difficult decision. You can look at a relationship from outside and say ‘you have some really unsolvable problems, you should break up’ but from the inside that is a really difficult thing to do and the longer you’ve been in a relationship, the harder it seems to be.”

Most people, Joel said, have standards and deal breakers about the kind of person they want to date or marry but those often go out the window when they meet someone.

“Humans fall in love for a reason,” Joel said. “From an evolutionary perspective, for our ancestors finding a partner may have been more important than finding the right partner. It might be easier to get into relationships than to get back out of them.”