The appeal asks frontier AI developers to let independent experts assess risks before release and urges governments to share reports of serious safety incidents.

Leaders from 20 countries called on frontier AI developers to test their most powerful AI models before release and give independent experts enough access to check for safety risks. Finland’s President Alexander Stubb and Norway’s Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Støre launched the appeal on Sept. 21, joined by 20 other leaders, including European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen.

The joint statement calls for mandatory testing, requiring governments to adopt rules or companies to make their own commitments for the proposed checks to take effect.

Outside experts would need access to test risks

The leaders want companies building the most powerful AI models to set out their safety plans and allow qualified outside experts to examine the models before release. The appeal says those experts should receive enough access to assess risks effectively.

The leaders said recent breaches driven by AI testing show the need for safety testing before releasing advanced models. They warned that AI development could outpace the ability to manage risks.

The appeal also asks governments and regional organizations to coordinate safety rules and share reports of serious AI safety incidents. It also asks United Nations member states to consider an international body that could set common safety standards for powerful AI models and verify compliance.

International AI efforts take different paths

Earlier this year, the United Nations launched the Global Dialogue on AI Governance, where its 193 member states can exchange ideas with companies, researchers, and civil society groups to coordinate AI oversight. The first Dialogue met in Geneva in July 2026; a second is scheduled for New York on May 3–4, 2027. The UN says the annual meetings are meant to help countries share lessons and find common approaches, while giving countries with less advanced AI industries a voice. Its AI governance lab is also examining where national rules align or conflict.

Separately, representatives of 29 countries signed an agreement to create an intergovernmental AI organization to coordinate national approaches to AI development and governance.

China’s President Xi Jinping has urged countries to move faster toward common global AI rules. Conversely, at a U.S.-hosted G20 meeting, ministers endorsed nonbinding principles, championed by the U.S., that favor using existing sector laws before creating new AI-specific regulations. Neither step established a common testing requirement for developers.

Stubb and Støre invited additional leaders to endorse their appeal. The statement sets no date for governments to adopt its proposals.