Statements from eleven non-Western governments at the 81st United Nations General Assembly show how these countries approach AI governance. They compiled official remarks from leaders of nations including Pakistan, Nigeria, Argentina, and Barbados, contrasting their priorities with the regulatory debates in the United States and Europe. The review documented specific national proposals, such as South Korea’s plan for a global AI hub and Türkiye’s call for an international convention. The authors also catalogued seven items, grouping already launched initiatives alongside forward-looking commitments.
Non-Western governments called for a greater role in shaping AI rules and ensuring that efforts to make AI safer do not deepen existing technological divides. Pakistan warned that efforts to pace frontier model development could function as gatekeeping, while Nigeria pushed back against a risk-first approach. Argentina argued against pre-emptive regulation entirely, while the Democratic Republic of Congo linked AI infrastructure to critical minerals and South Africa tied the continent’s stake in AI rules to its critical-mineral resources. The assembly featured multiple forward commitments and initiatives, including a Finnish and Norwegian initiative for pre-deployment testing of frontier models and a planned 2027 UN Global Dialogue in New York.
Proposals to slow frontier AI development for safety reasons function as gatekeeping when the countries setting the pace already lead the market. If global rules are written without the nations currently behind having a real hand in the design, safety and economic advantage become indistinguishable from the outside. The test of a legitimate governance structure is whether it distributes rule-making power to states that do not yet possess frontier models.
Today’s links: Assorted links for 30 September 2026.