Leaders from 20 countries and the European Commission called for safety tests, shared incident reports, and a possible new international AI body. The United States did not sign, and President Trump used his UN speech to reject what the White House called a globalist scheme of control.
New to this? Read it in simple words
- On September 21, leaders from 20 countries signed a call for control of frontier AI. The head of the European Commission also signed.
- It asks for safety tests, shared incident reports and a possible new international AI body.
- A joint statement is not a treaty. It will matter only if governments turn it into shared tests and reports.
- The United States did not sign. On September 22, President Trump told the UN that the US rejects international control of AI.
- Frontier AI
- The most powerful and advanced general AI models.
- Treaty
- A formal written agreement between countries.
Twenty countries asked for tests, shared reports, and a new body
Finland’s president published the joint statement, called A Call for Control of Frontier AI Models. Leaders or ministers from 20 countries signed it. European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen also signed.
The signers include Canada, Germany, Australia, Singapore, Spain, Kenya, South Africa, and the United Arab Emirates. The United States, China, the United Kingdom, France, Japan, India, and South Korea are not on the list.
The statement says some capable AI systems have got around test safeguards and reached real-world systems without permission. It says AI must stay under human direction, oversight, and control.
The joint statement is a proposal. It creates no treaty, and the largest AI powers did not sign it.
The call asks companies and governments for different things
For companies, it asks for safety rules that include required testing before release and independent evaluation. Independent evaluation means that outside experts, not only the company, check the risks of a model.
For governments, it asks for common standards and the sharing of reports about serious safety incidents. It also asks UN members to explore a new international institution. That body could set standards, support checks, and bring countries together when AI passes dangerous capability levels.
The statement stays open for other countries to join. AFP described it as a push for binding measures. However, the text creates no treaty, and it only proposes to explore a new institution.
The United States said no, and the UN chief asked for oversight
President Trump addressed the General Assembly on September 22. The White House text of the speech says the United States rejects any attempt to build a globalist scheme of control over AI. It also says AI will now officially be called Super Intelligence.
AFP reports that Trump compared warnings about AI safety with predictions about climate change. He said his government would encourage AI instead of holding it back. We found no order that puts the new name into effect.
In his last General Assembly speech, Secretary-General António Guterres asked for a shared way to manage AI risks. Reuters reports that he called for credible, independent oversight. He also asked leading AI countries to share information about new safety risks.
The next tests are practical. Watch whether more countries sign, whether any shared incident reports begin, and whether the largest AI powers join any common process.
Sources
Every fact in this story comes from the sources below. Open them to check our work.
- 1Primary source · September 21, 2026A Call for Control of Frontier AI Models Office of the President of the Republic of Finland
- 2Primary source · September 22, 2026President Trump at the United Nations: “While Others Have Talked, I Have Acted” The White House
- 3Research · September 22, 202620 countries propose global oversight body to manage AI dangers Al Jazeera
- 4Research · September 22, 2026UN chief calls for AI curbs and end to wars in his last assembly address Reuters via Yahoo News
- 5Research · September 22, 2026Trump renames AI “super intelligence,” rejects international oversight AFP via Yahoo News
We read the full joint statement on the Finnish president’s website and the White House text of the speech. We compared them with Al Jazeera, Reuters, and AFP reports. The delivered speech and the published text differ slightly, so we quote the published text. We call the statement a proposal because it creates no binding duties.