Georgian President Mikheil Kavelashvili told the United Nations’ first Global Dialogue on AI Governance in Geneva on July 6 that concentrated control over artificial intelligence “must not become a weapon of totalitarian control and a new digital tyranny,” according to Civil Georgia’s report on his remarks.
What Kavelashvili said
Addressing representatives of the UN’s 193 member states alongside private-sector and civil-society delegates, Kavelashvili argued that AI’s rapid development touches all three pillars of the United Nations: peace and security, human rights, and sustainable development. He described AI as “not merely a new technological tool, but an autonomous force capable of making decisions, generating new ideas, and shaping influential narratives.”
The Georgian president warned that misuse of AI “may distort perceptions of reality to such an extent that it triggers global instability,” and said the technology threatens language and culture, which he called “the foundation of our civilization.” Because building and running advanced AI systems demands vast computing power, capital, and data, he said, that concentration of resources creates a particular risk of abuse by dominant actors unless checked by international rules.
Kavelashvili called for a “strong international legal architecture” to balance concentrated power, prevent geopolitical instability, and ensure AI’s benefits in science, health, and education reach “the well-being, security, and stability of all humanity rather than the dominance of individual actors.”
Meeting with Guterres
After his address, Kavelashvili met separately with UN Secretary-General António Guterres. By the president’s own account of the meeting, he reaffirmed Georgia’s commitment to cooperation with the UN, raised international support for Georgian sovereignty and territorial integrity, and renewed an invitation for Guterres to make an official visit to Georgia.
The Geneva dialogue, held July 6-7, is the UN’s first dedicated forum for building common international rules on AI governance, following years of largely separate national and regional efforts.