President William Ruto has urged the international community to centre the United Nations in global efforts to regulate artificial intelligence (AI). He warned that the governance of AI cannot be left solely to a few governments, companies, or laboratories.
Addressing a high-level event at the United Nations General Assembly in New York on Monday, Ruto emphasised that AI governance “must be globally shaped, not globally imposed,” insisting that those affected by the technology must have a significant role in establishing its rules. “The rules of the intelligence era cannot be written by a handful of governments, companies, or laboratories. Those affected by these technologies must have a meaningful hand in shaping them,” he said.
During the event, themed “Shared Sovereignty in the AI Era,” Ruto announced the AI Middle Powers Initiative, a coalition he is co-founding with Finnish President Alexander Stubb. This voluntary framework aims to assist middle powers in pooling resources to develop AI capabilities collectively, rather than each nation striving for complete independence.
Ruto observed that, while every participant nation retains political sovereignty, very few have control over the technologies that will increasingly shape that sovereignty. He noted, “Our territory, our laws and our institutions remain ours. Yet more of the decisions shaping our economies, security and societies will depend on computing power we do not own, models we did not train, chips we cannot readily obtain, data systems we may not control, and standards we did not help write.”
He highlighted the necessity for cooperation in the AI field, arguing that no single nation should dominate the entire AI value chain, from securing essential minerals to establishing global standards. Turning his attention to Africa, Ruto cautioned against the continent mirroring past extractive industries in a digital context, where it would provide the raw materials for AI but continue to import the technologies at a high cost. He stated, “Africa cannot provide the minerals, energy, data, content, and talent of the AI revolution, only to import the resulting intelligence at a premium,” advocating instead for a shift towards self-sufficiency in AI development.
In July, Kenya initiated a nationwide public participation exercise on its draft AI policy, involving citizens, tech firms, researchers, and civil society to help shape the country’s AI future. The draft addresses how AI can be monetised and its intended applications in sectors such as health, agriculture, education, and finance.
In New York, Ruto outlined that Kenya’s AI strategy is built on essential pillars: digital infrastructure, data and AI governance, and research, innovation, and commercialisation. However, he warned that expanding AI capabilities must be accompanied by safeguards, stating, “Innovation without safeguards is not sustainable progress.”
