UN chief calls for global collaboration to address mounting challenges

The United Nations (UN) chief on Wednesday issued a stark warning about the mounting challenges facing humanity and urged the global community to work together to tackle them.

While addressing the World Economic Forum Annual Meeting in Davos, Switzerland, UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said the world is confronting a "Pandora's box of troubles" and emphasized that collaboration is the key to addressing these challenges.

He stressed that as two major challenges facing humanity, climate change and unregulated expansion of AI will disrupt human life, requiring more attention and actions of the global community.

The UN chief painted a dire picture of the climate emergency, likening humanity's dependence on fossil fuels to a "Frankenstein monster" that spares no one.

"Our fossil fuel addiction is a Frankenstein monster, sparing nothing and no one. All around us, we see clear signs that the monster has become master. We just endured the hottest year and the hottest decade in history. 2024 is likely to be the first calendar year that's pushed back past 1.5 degrees above preindustrial levels. Now, breaching these limits does not mean the long-term goal of keeping the rise in global temperature to 1.5 degrees is shot. It means we need to fight even harder to get on track," Guterres said.

Sea-level rise, heatwaves, floods, storms, droughts, and wildfires are just a preview of the horror movie to come, according to the UN chief.

He urged governments to honor their promises by delivering new climate action plans ahead of the COP30 climate change conference in Brazil. He also called on financial institutions to support the energy transition in developing nations.

Guterres turned his attention also to artificial intelligence, acknowledging its potential to revolutionize sectors like healthcare, education, and crisis response. However, he cautioned against the risks posed by AI, including its potential to disrupt economies and labor markets. He called for urgent and unified action to address these challenges. "AI can be used as a tool of deception. It can disrupt economies and labor markets, undermine trust in institutions and have chilling effects on the battlefields. AI could deepen inequalities by excluding those without the resources or tools to benefit from its promise. Once again, collaboration is critical," he said.

UN chief calls for global collaboration to address mounting challenges

UN chief calls for global collaboration to address mounting challenges

Tiangong Ultra, an upgraded version of the China-made "Tiangong" humanoid robot, is currently undergoing tests in preparation for a half-marathon next month in Beijing.

The race, set for April 13 in the Beijing Economic-Technological Development Area in the capital city's southeast, will feature both robotic and human athletes competing on the same route but on separate tracks to ensure safety for all participants.

The competition is open to global robot companies, research institutes, robot clubs and universities. So far, 23 organizations have signed up for the competition.

Developed by the Beijing Humanoid Robot Innovation Center, Tiangong Ultra has a bigger size, longer legs, and a stronger hip compared to its old version. In addition, unlike Tiangong, which has two iron sheets as feet, Tiangong Ultra wears a pair of "shoes" to minimize impact on its feet and ankle joints from running, according to engineers at the center.

"Aside from upgrades to Tiangong's body and structure, we have also greatly improved its motion algorithm, strengthening its capabilities for gait planning, body coordination, and motion control," said Wei Jiaxing, director of branding and public relations at the center.

In a race between Tiangong and Tiangong Ultra, the upgraded version demonstrated larger strides, a more stable running form, and a significantly higher speed.

"Its highest speed can reach 12 kilometers per hour. Considering the stability and endurance of the Tiangong robot when running outdoors, we may slightly reduce the speed. But we are still very confident that it can complete the half marathon," Wei said.

Bolstered by strong capital investment, China' robotics industry is growing rapidly, with versatile applications becoming increasingly prominent across a wide range of fields, including industrial automation, healthcare and service industries.

According to a report on the humanoid robot industry released at the 2024 World AI Conference in Shanghai, China's humanoid robot market scale was approximately 2.76 billion yuan (about 381.28 million U.S. dollars) last year.

By 2029, it is expected to expand to 75 billion yuan (about 10.36 billion U.S. dollars), which would account for 32.7 percent of the global market.

Humanoid robot set to run Beijing half-marathon