Executives from major artificial intelligence companies testified before the United Nations Security Council on Wednesday, September 23, 2026, requesting international controls on the technology they are developing. OpenAI CEO Sam Altman and Anthropic CEO Dario Amodei told the council that safeguards are necessary to manage potential risks to humanity and to prevent AI power from being concentrated within a single country or company.
The testimony occurred as world leaders and the U.N. Security Council evaluate the increasing capabilities and pervasiveness of AI. On Tuesday, September 22, 2026, U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres spoke about the emergence of autonomous weapons systems, which he referred to as "killer robots." European leaders and technology experts reported that such systems are either currently a reality or close to becoming one.
During the Wednesday session, Amodei stated that AI could present a risk to humanity as a whole if it is managed poorly. Altman said the world could "lose control of the future" to the technology. The executives called on the Security Council to establish actual controls to prevent AI from becoming too powerful to regulate.
While technology leaders advocated for restrictions, other political figures expressed different views. On the same day, President Donald Trump dismissed concerns about the risks associated with AI and stated he would not rein in the technology. Meanwhile, Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-VT) introduced legislation that would ban artificial superintelligence and establish a federal Department of AI.
The scale of this issue involves every person with access to digital technology and impacts global security. While specific dollar figures for the proposed Department of AI or the cost of international monitoring were not reported, the involvement of the U.N. Security Council indicates the potential for a global regulatory framework. Such a framework would set a precedent for how nations manage emerging technologies that transcend borders, potentially leading to new international treaties or monitoring agencies.
What happens next will depend on the U.N. Security Council's response to the calls for regulation and the progress of domestic legislation like the bill introduced by Sen. Sanders. President Trump’s stated opposition to reining in AI suggests a potential policy conflict between the executive branch and congressional or international efforts. Specific dates for votes on the Sanders bill or for follow-up Security Council sessions were not reported.