Secretary‑General to press global AI guardrails in Paris; UN expects host‑country compliance on sanctions and UN‑HQ obligations

United Nations officials said the secretary‑general will travel to Paris to attend the Artificial Intelligence Action Summit and will tell leaders that the concentration of AI capabilities in a few companies and countries risks widening global inequalities and deepening geopolitical divides. The spokesman said the secretary‑general “will underscore that we must prevent a world of AI haves and have nots, and will call on AI leaders to pool expertise and cooperate with each other.”

The spokesman also said the secretary‑general is expected to meet with French President Emmanuel Macron and other world leaders while in Paris.

On a separate topic, when asked about the U.S. executive order and possible sanctions linked to actions against the International Criminal Court, a reporter asked whether any restrictions targeting senior officials would affect access to UN headquarters. The spokesman replied: “We trust that any restrictions taken against individuals would be implemented consistently with the host country's obligations under the UN headquarters agreement.”

The spokesman declined to confirm an alleged telephone call between the secretary‑general and the Egyptian president when asked, saying he had no information to confirm and would provide updates if available.

Why it matters: the secretary‑general’s interventions at the AI summit will signal UN policy priorities on technology governance; the UN’s reliance on host‑country obligations for headquarters access frames how external sanctions could intersect with the UN’s diplomatic functions.