The future of competition between humans and machines in the age of artificial intelligence

United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres warned the Security Council in 2024 that humanity is doomed “It should never be left to the black box of algorithms“Humans must always retain oversight and control over AI decision-making to ensure respect for human rights.

Since then, the United Nations has been working to develop a form of ethical global governance for AI, based on the guidelines and recommendations contained in the Global Digital Charter.

Here is a selection of key ideas in this area:

Education is key

The United Nations continually emphasizes that education is key to ensuring that people remain active in an AI-driven future. This is not only about integrating AI tools into the education system, but also ensuring that students and teachers are AI-literate.

Shafiqa Ishaq, Head of Technology and Artificial Intelligence in Education at UNESCO, says: “The global education system will need 44 million teachers by 2030. We believe it is wrong to say that we need to invest more in AI technologies than in teachers. AI can manage data transmission, but it cannot manage human development. Education is, at its core, a social, human and cultural experience, not just a technical download.”.

Adapt to change

Many people around the world are worried about losing their jobs because of this technology. This is not surprising, as the World Economic Forum estimated in 2025 that about 41% of employers plan to reduce their workforce due to AI.

At the same time, new roles are likely to emerge that combine the strengths of humans with the capabilities of machines, because although machines excel at pattern recognition and repetitive tasks, they are not as good at creativity, judgment, moral reasoning, and complex interactions between people.

The International Labor Organization, in collaboration with global research partners, has predicted that although about a quarter of jobs may be affected by artificial intelligence, this does not necessarily mean a net loss of jobs.

However, the way work is done is likely to change dramatically, putting it on workers to adapt quickly and be open to the idea of ​​continually learning new skills and training throughout their careers.

Making artificial intelligence available to everyone

A handful of technology giants are leading AI research and controlling the innovation of new tools. The United Nations is concerned that unless access to this technology is expanded, disparities between countries and within societies will increase.

The strategies developed by the United Nations emphasize the need for educational, economic, and governance policies to ensure that the benefits of artificial intelligence are widely distributed, and not limited to privileged or technologically advanced groups.

Human rights first and foremost

The United Nations has repeatedly stressed that the development of artificial intelligence must respect human rights, dignity and inclusion, and has warned that uncontrolled automation may deepen social divisions.

In 2021, after extensive consultations with global experts, UNESCO issued a Recommendation on AI Ethics, which affirms that human rights cannot be optional ethical considerations, but must be the binding basis for AI systems. The document stresses the need to restrict or ban tools that threaten dignity, equality, or freedom, and that governments must regulate and implement these standards effectively.

Agreement is a way forward

This is not an issue that a national government, private sector or civil society can address alone, as the United Nations calls for international cooperation.

This collaboration can take the form of dialogues on governance and ethics, UN-supported platforms for coordination, and public-private partnerships to finance education and workforce development.

Africa as an example

For Africa – where digital infrastructure, data availability and skills gaps remain uneven – the age of AI represents a moment of promise and at the same time fraught with danger. Data governance, algorithmic bias, job losses, and limited regulatory capacity are among the major concerns facing African policymakers.

According to the United Nations Development Programme, Africa represents approximately 18% of the world’s population, but less than 1% of global data center capacity.

On the positive side, AI can be key to accelerating the development of African economies for the benefit of all. There are dozens of positive examples of using artificial intelligence to improve people’s lives, from early warning systems that help predict drought in the Horn of Africa, to machine learning tools that improve disease monitoring and diagnosis.

The key to ensuring that Africa taps into this potential is to invest in local data, skills and research, and in developing more inclusive, multilingual AI systems.