UN Explores Tech Independence as US Rejects Global AI Governance

UN agencies are building contingency plans for computing infrastructure after US sanctions on the International Criminal Court and Anthropic's Mythos model cutoff raised concerns about single-provider reliance. The ITU's chief information officer said UN groups are exploring shared computing and data infrastructure, with the worry that the Trump administration may restrict chip and AI model access as a foreign policy tool. The plan is not a full departure from US technology but rather backup systems sorted by data sensitivity. Separately, OSTP Director Michael Kratsios has stated the US position clearly: the administration rejects multilateral AI governance frameworks and promotes bilateral agreements instead, arguing that safety-focused regulation entrenches incumbents and isolates developing nations from the AI economy.