UN hopes to promote responsible use of AI for benefit of all at world conference: spokesman

The United Nations hopes that the 2026 World Artificial Intelligence Conference (WAIC) will promote the responsible use of AI for the benefit of all, said UN secretary-general spokesman Stephane Dujarric at a regular press briefing on Wednesday.

UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has arrived in Shanghai to attend the 2026 WAIC and High-Level Meeting on Global AI Governance which will be held from Friday to Monday.

"It is another critical gathering of people who will work to ensure that artificial intelligence is used responsibly and is used for the benefit for all," Dujarric said.

"It is so important that artificial intelligence technology be shared and be developed in as many countries as possible and that it be used responsibly and it is be used for good," the spokesperson noted.

The United States announced on Wednesday that it will impose an additional 25 percent tariff on certain goods imported from Brazil, a move that has drawn immediate and stern condemnation from the South American nation.

At the direction of President Donald Trump, U.S. Trade Representative Jamieson Greer is taking final action under Section 301 of the Trade Act of 1974 to levy the duties, according to a statement from the Office of the United States Trade Representative.

The office said the decision follows a year-long investigation that concluded Brazilian policies on digital trade, tariffs, intellectual property, ethanol supply, and deforestation have placed burdens on American commerce.

The tariff measures are scheduled to take effect on July 22.

Meanwhile, U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio said the Brazilian government "has not engaged in good-faith negotiations with the United States."

In response, the Brazilian government issued a statement, denouncing the U.S. decision as "unilateral, illegal, and arbitrary."

Rejected the announced measures on Wednesday, Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva said that the unilateral action "makes no sense" and that "Brazil does not recognize the legitimacy of investigations that lack the support of multilateral trade rules."