Artificial intelligence is rare bright spot for global governance

Multilateralism has had a difficult time lately, especially at the United Nations. The UN Security Council couldn't exactly stop Russia's invasion of Ukraine. Cease-fires in Gaza and Lebanon remain elusive. Subsequent COP summits have failed to raise the bar enough, let alone spur concrete action, to meet global climate targets. The UN's own Sustainable Development Goals aren't just off-track - they're backtracking. Indeed, the UN's values of peace, security, and cooperation feel very foreign at a time when multiple wars are raging, protectionism is on the rise, and the world is splitting into coalitions and blocs.

But even amid a geopolitical recession, global cooperation is still possible. On 22-23 September, the UN General Assembly held its first-ever Summit of the Future. It was, among other things, a test of the UN's ability to tackle one of the world's biggest...