AI Can Automate Tasks Not Accountability: UNGA President

As artificial intelligence adoption reshapes modern workplaces globally, President of the 81st Session of the United Nations General Assembly, Dr. Khalilur Rahman, called for robust frameworks ensuring transparency, accountability, and meaningful safeguards for workers' rights. Delivering his keynote address, he underscored, “AI can automate tasks. It must never automate accountability.” 

He shared these observations during the 16th Annual Engaging Business Forum held in New York under the session theme “AI and the Future of Work: A Human Rights Imperative”. Excerpts of his address were subsequently released via his verified UNGA President digital communications handle on Thursday (October 15, 2026).

Dr. Khalilur Rahman highlighted that while AI integration unlocks immense economic potential, the increasing reliance on algorithmic systems for recruitment, workplace monitoring, and employment terminations raises pressing ethical concerns regarding bias, data privacy, and algorithmic transparency. 

He urged business enterprises and technology developers to directly engage workers in the design and deployment of workplace AI systems. Furthermore, he stressed that employees must be guaranteed a fair, meaningful process to challenge and review automated decisions that impact their livelihoods and professional standing.

Addressing macroeconomic concerns regarding systemic cyber vulnerabilities, inflationary shocks, and financial volatility associated with rapid tech expansion, the UNGA President called on governments and industry executives to maintain ethical leadership. Aligning with the governance directives of the UN’s Global Digital Compact, he reaffirmed that technological progress must go hand-in-hand with enforceable labor rights and human-centered governance. //DBTech/UNCPGA/SMP/OEM//