16 March 2026 – Open letter warns AGI poses existential risk to human civilisation without urgent international governance
A group of international experts—spanning science, academia, civil society, and global policy—has today published an open letter calling on the President of the UN General Assembly, the UN Secretary-General, and the Co-Chairs of the newly established Independent International Scientific Panel on Artificial Intelligence to convene a special session of the UN General Assembly dedicated solely to the governance of Artificial General Intelligence (AGI).
The letter warns that AGI is no longer a matter of distant speculation. The signatories argue that the international community must act now, before adequate governance frameworks have been overtaken by the pace of technological change.
Unlike current AI systems designed for specific, bounded tasks, more advanced forms of AGI are expected to be capable of rewriting their own computer code and developing objectives beyond human control. If properly governed, the letter argues, AGI could drive transformative advances in medicine, education, climate solutions and global peace. Left unregulated, it risks posing an existential threat to human civilisation.
Paul Shrivastava, co-president of the Club of Rome and one of the letter’s signatories said:
“We are at a pivotal moment in human history. AGI is not a future problem—it is arriving now, and the international community is not prepared. Those of us who have spent decades studying long-term global risks recognise the pattern: by the time a threat becomes undeniable, the window for effective action has narrowed dramatically. Without proper international oversight of AGI, we risk an outcome from which there is no recovery. A special session of the UN General Assembly is imperative for the international community to address the issue head-on.”
Jerome C. Glenn, executive director of the Millennium Project, added:
“Governing AGI will be the most difficult management problem humanity has ever faced. The United Nations was built precisely for moments such as this—moments when a challenge transcends borders and demands a coordinated global response. AGI is that challenge. The UN’s Independent Scientific Panel is a welcome step, but it will take a year to produce its first findings. In that time, AI will have advanced by several generations. We cannot afford to wait.”
The letter is signed by more than thirty leaders drawn from think tanks, universities and civil society organisations.
Read the letter
