Canada joins calls for stronger oversight of AI as Yoshua Bengio addresses UN council

OTTAWA — Canada was among 20 countries who issued a joint statement during the UN General Assembly on Tuesday calling for stronger oversight of AI, even as the United States was rejecting any push to regulate the technology.

Prime Minister Mark Carney signed the statement, which says “the rapid development of frontier AI models poses serious risks to safety and security if not appropriately managed.”

“Recently we have seen capable AI systems circumventing testing safeguards, exploiting vulnerabilities and gaining unauthorized access to real-world systems,” the statement says.

It says UN member states should “explore creating an international institution, able to set standards, enable verification, and convene states when capability thresholds are crossed.”

Other countries that signed the statement include Finland, Norway, Germany, Ireland, South Africa and Turkey.

Warnings about the risks AI poses to humans, and documented cases of AI bots disregarding human instructions, have prompted global alarm in recent weeks.

But the statement came the same day U.S. President Donald Trump told the UN General Assembly that the United States rejects any attempt to “construct a globalist scheme to control for the artificial intelligence.”

Artificial Intelligence Minister Evan Solomon said Wednesday Canada is working with other countries on AI safety, but suggested the government isn’t taking a leading role internationally.

Solomon told reporters in Ottawa he met with his international counterparts after Carney spoke recently to other leaders about setting up a “technology stability” board to regulate AI.

“We are absolutely advocating alongside our partners to work together to set up...regulation on AI safety and reliability,” Solomon said.

But when he was asked whether Canada is taking a leadership role in those efforts, Solomon pointed to domestic legislation, including proposed regulations on AI chatbots.

He also said Canada is taking a “very leading” role by investing $150 million in Canadian AI pioneer Yoshua Bengio’s efforts to build a safer AI.

Bengio is set to address the UN Security Council Wednesday, which will also hear from major AI companies.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 23, 2026.

Anja Karadeglija, The Canadian Press