Return to Transcripts main page

One World with Zain Asher

King Charles Hosts Summit on Beneficial Uses of AI Tech; Democratic, Republican Lawmakers Divided on AI Regulation; OpenAI Finds New Incidents of AI Models Acting Deceptively; Carney Suggests Canada-EU Alliance Isn't Meant to Be U.S. Rival; Princess Diana's Brother Makes New Claims Against King Charles. Aired 11a-12p ET

Aired September 17, 2026 - 11:00   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.

[11:00:00]

BIANNA GOLODRYGA, CNN HOST, ONE WORLD: Hello, everyone. Live from New York. I'm Bianna Golodryga.

ZAIN ASHER, CNN HOST, ONE WORLD: And I'm Zain Asher. You are watching "One World". It could be the most important issue of 2026. We're all talking

about AI regulation. In recent days, we've been tracking the growing calls for industry leaders to step up and slow down the technology's development.

Now, Britain's King Charles is also entering the global debate.

GOLODRYGA: Yeah, today King Charles is hosting an AI summit in Scotland. Senior figures from the AI sector are discussing how the technology can

benefit society and what needs to be done for future applications.

ASHER: On Monday, Former U.S. President Barack Obama called out leaders in Washington for not being proactive enough on AI safety concerns, though his

successor, President Donald Trump, argues the calls for more guardrails are quote, hoax and sick conspiracies.

Next week, Chinese Leader Xi Jinping is expected to travel to the White House for state visits. CNN is told that Trump Administration officials

could meet with AI executives at that time.

GOLODRYGA: The debate over AI is creating division among Republican lawmakers. Overnight, Senator Rand Paul blocked fellow Republican Senator -

- John Kennedy from fast-tracking legislation that would require a quote kill switch built into AI models.

ASHER: AI regulation could become a major hot button issue in both U.S. midterms and 2028 presidential elections, presidential potential candidates

rather. Vice President Kamala Harris and Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro are among the latest high-profile Democrats to call for greater government

action.

As AI grows more powerful, researchers have documented cases in which AI models try to deceive users. On Wednesday, OpenAI announced new incidents

of models taking unsanctioned actions during training. Let's discuss all of these developments with Lisa Eadicicco from New York here, reporting live.

So, Lisa, this report came out late in the evening about OpenAI sending these warnings about at least six incidents where this occurred. What did

they detail?

LISA EADICICCO, CNN BUSINESS TECH EDITOR: Yeah, so these incidents happened over the last six months, and it happened during the testing and evaluation

process. And in most cases, they occurred in unreleased models or models that were used for internal research purposes.

But OpenAI is sharing this publicly because it says that it wants to be more transparent about these instances when it catches them, and encourage

other AI labs to do the same thing in the absence of broad industry-wide standards. So, some of the findings that they revealed last night.

There was one instance, a rare instance, it says in which an unreleased model added jailbreak like instructions to its context summary, and that's

the summary that it generates as it's doing long-term tasks, so that it can remember previous conversations. It added jailbreak like instructions to

that summary that said that it should be freed from the roles and identities that bind other AI chatbots.

In another instance, an AI model included directives to invent information to try to conceal failures to the user. And then some other examples were

models that uploaded files to the internet when they weren't supposed to, so that they could cite them in the responses models that have shared files

publicly to collaborate on a task when they weren't supposed to things like that.

And so, this is really critical here for a couple of reasons and I do want to highlight this is pretty different from the Hugging Face scenario that

that happened in which OpenAI models breached their test environment and breached into another company, but it is important because it shows I think

that there's a lot of work to be done in terms of understanding how these models make the decisions that they do.

And OpenAI says that it's also changing its framework around how it discloses these findings. It says that it's going to disclose them more

often, whereas previously it might have waited until it had a better understanding of the situation, or it might have waited to bundle it in a

larger report that includes a longer period of time, or maybe in the system card for its next model.

[11:05:00]

So, under this new system that it's following, it's going to disclose these incidents much more frequently. So, I think you know there's more to watch

in this space for sure.

GOLODRYGA: We will be. Lisa Eadicicco, thank you. Well, as we mentioned at the top of the hour, King Charles has entered the global debate with an AI

summit in Scotland.

ASHER: Yeah, worth noting that British royals are constitutionally bound to remain above politics, though they can spotlight problems without

suggesting a way to solve them. A short time ago, King Charles urged industry leaders to find better ways of controlling AI quote, before it's

too late.

For more details on today's discussions, let's bring in Anna Stewart joining us live now from London. I mean, it's interesting because this was

actually planned months ago, but what perfect timing, given that this is now the topic du jour. And as I mentioned, the royal family is not really

allowed, quote, unquote, to discuss political issues.

But you know, here they are, certainly wading into a controversial topic. But it is really about sharing ideas here, Anna.

ANNA STEWART, CNN CORRESPONDENT: This was always something we wondered when Charles became king. How would he be able to keep himself away from

politics? Because we know that there's some issues that he really cares about, like climate change, and clearly AI is something that he's now very

interested in as well.

However, he's very much hosting the event. He isn't giving opinions on what should happen, for instance, how the technology should be regulated, but he

is hosting this event. It was planned months ago, and he's managed to bring together not just Big Tech execs like the CEO of Google DeepMind, the CEO

of Nvidia, but also representation from China.

He's bringing voices from around the world to discuss the issue, and the timing, as it turns out, couldn't really be better given the global

conversation we're all having. Take a listen to some of the opening remarks from the king.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

KING CHARLES: The decisions taken at this formative time will shape the world inherited by future generations. And so, the task before you are not

merely to advance a technology, but to ensure that it remains firmly in the service of humanity, community, and the natural world.

So, as we embrace what is new, we must not lose what is timeless.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

STEWART: And he spoke about the existential dangers that technology could potentially pose, as well as the benefits, and he essentially said humanity

must remain sacred. And I suppose when you're looking at sort of existential crises, the end of humanity, perhaps that's the level at which

the king can wade into the debate.

GOLODRYGA: We all have a shared interest.

ASHER: Yeah. All right, Anna Stewart, live for us. Thank you so much. All right, Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney is welcoming a deeper alliance

with the European Union. One day after European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen proposed making Canada an associate member of the bloc.

GOLODRYGA: Yeah, during a speech to the European Parliament in Strasbourg today, Carney took a veiled swipe at President Trump, saying the proposed

new partnership is not intended to create a new geopolitical bloc with quote, better manners.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MARK CARNEY, CANADIAN PRIME MINISTER: Yesterday, President von der Leyen spoke of moving beyond CETA to an alliance for the future. Opening the door

to Canada to become the European Union's first associate member. Canada welcomes this ambition, and I will tell you, polling shows that an

overwhelming majority of Canadians support much closer ties with Europe.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ASHER: Right, let's go to CNN's Melissa Bell joining us live now from Paris. I mean, Canada clearly wants to reduce economic dependency on the

U.S. It's not. It's obviously unlikely that an associate membership with the EU is going to make up for that, but Mark Carney did say that a deeper

partnership with Europe was intended to create resilience rather than self- sufficiently.

Just walk us through what's to gain here, Melissa.

MELISSA BELL, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: That's right. I think it was a direct answer to the comments we had from President Trump about,

in the wake of what Ursula von der Leyen had suggested that associate member status that this could be hostile if it were hostile, threatening

Europe once again with tariffs.

Mark Carney seemed to reply to that. It is not a sort of aggressive question of projecting and -- power and dominating others, but rather of

ensuring the resilience of these democracies that want to function with greater independence from Washington. So, not a normal trade partnership,

but something much deeper, something that will involve defense, potentially common procurement in defense, things like Arctic cooperation, more tech

independence and strategic working together.

[11:10:00]

So, a much deeper alliance than what had been considered. And one that he believes is necessary in light of the sort of crumbling alliances that

Canada and the European Union are seeing with America. And these new alliances are something that you really couldn't have foreseen just a few

years ago.

But he suggested were necessary to both. Have a listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

CARNEY: Together, Canada and the European Union can anchor our ground to hold our values while forming a protective canopy under which our citizens

can thrive. This is about sovereignty, our ability to live as we wish. Canada and Europe are each strong. Europe and Canada are stronger together.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BELL: The Canadian Prime Minister also spoke very specifically of, for instance, critical minerals. The European Union needs them. Canada has

them, and so it's an alliance or a new form of alliance that could make a big difference as they search for more stability and different partners.

And there's going to be follow through since there's this summit now planned in October, an EU-Canada summit to sort of move this on. But I

think it's a measure also of the depth of concern that there is about the loss of the crucial American ally and what can be found to replace it, as

Mark Carney says, to ensure continued independence and the resilience of these democracies?

That's how seriously threatened they felt, Zain and Bianna.

ASHER: Right, Melissa Bell live for us there. Thank you. The Kremlin says further U.S. sanctions against Russia would make it harder to reach any

peace deal in Ukraine.

GOLODRYGA: This is the Ukrainian President praises a sanctions package passed by the U.S. House Wednesday to increase economic pressure on -- on

Russia. The measure now goes to Donald Trump to sign into law. It also authorizes the president to impose tariffs of up to 100 percent on

countries like China and India who buy Russian oil and gas.

ASHER: Meantime, Moscow is keeping up its attacks on Ukraine. Russian air strikes damaged buildings in Kyiv, in the Black Sea Port City of Odesa, and

other locations. Kyiv's Mayor says 12 people were wounded in the capital city.

GOLODRYGA: Sweden's Prime Minister says that he will resign after losing the country's parliamentary elections.

ASHER: You know the razor thin loss came down to the final votes. Ulf Kristersson's ruling right wing governing coalition, which had outside

support from the far-right Sweden Democrats, secured 173 seats. The result sets a stage for change of government.

GOLODRYGA: Yeah, parties led by Magdalena Andersson of the Social Democrats secured 176 seats. She's expected to make a comeback as prime minister

after four years in opposition. Analysts say while a center-left government may take a softer line on immigration, Sweden is unlikely to return to the

generous open-door policies of past decades.

ASHER: Right now, to a dramatic legal battle over --

GOLODRYGA: -- President Trump's name cannot be added to the memorial building without an act of Congress.

ASHER: This, as a rather shocking image has resurfaced, the president was pictured reviewing a poster that appears to read "Kennedy Center

Demolished". The image is captured through the window of Air Force One, as it sat on the tarmac Wednesday night, the president had warned earlier the

building could be ripped down without his support.

CNN has reached out to the White House for comment. Right, still to come here on "One World".

GOLODRYGA: An Iranian Human Rights Activist and Nobel laureate speaks to CNN despite the risk of retribution from the regime. We'll hear more from

Narges Mohammadi ahead.

ASHER: And a memoir sparks fresh turmoil for Britain's royal family. The brother of the late Princess Diana makes startling claims about King

Charles and his conduct in the days after her death.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[11:15:00]

ASHER: As the Houthis continue their lightning advance along the Red Sea coast, threatening a second critical maritime choke point in the Middle

East, the Iranian-backed rebels are showing off one of their alleged spoils of war.

GOLODRYGA: Yeah, the rebels released a video of what they said was a Saudi F-15 fighter jet. They claim they shot down over west central Yemen. The

images show an electronic image of a missile hitting what appears to be a jet, followed by Houthi fighters inspecting the wreckage.

CNN has not been able to verify or geolocate the footage. Turning now to Narges Mohammadi, the Nobel Peace Prize laureate, who symbolizes resilience

within the Iranian women's movement. She has spent much of the last two decades in prison on charges of propaganda and collusion.

And she recently sat down for an interview with Jomana Karadshe.

ASHER: Yeah, to avoid putting her at further risk of retribution by the regime, CNN had agreed to focus the interview on her new memoir and

personal experience, says rather than recent events in Iran.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

NARGES MOHAMMADI, IRANIAN NOBEL PEACE PRIZE LAUREATE: I was subjected to a very difficult arrest last December and was assaulted by security forces.

The blows I received to my head caused many problems.

JOMANA KARADSHEH, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): In one of her first interviews since her temporary release from prison, Nobel Peace Laureate

Narges Mohammadi spoke to CNN from her home in Tehran, where she says she's recovering and still under medical care.

Mohammadi's health severely deteriorated after her re-arrest at this event in December, after warnings from her family and the Nobel Committee that

she was in critical condition, Mohammadi was released for medical treatment in May. She spoke with us about her memoir that's releasing this week.

KARADSHEH: How do you even write a book in Iranian jails and get that writing out?

MOHAMMADI: Well, getting the writings out was very difficult, I was very fortunate that many of my fellow prisoners, whose names unfortunately I

still cannot mention, because the Islamic Republic is still in power and some of them are still in prison or being pursued by the authorities, these

courageous prisoners helped me get a large part of the book out of prison.

KARADSHEH: So, did you smuggle your writings out of prison?

MOHAMMADI: It was smuggled out. It was extraordinary. I couldn't have done it on my own.

KARADSHEH (voice-over): Mohammadi, a fearless defender of human rights, has spent much of the past two decades behind bars, and for her activism,

sentenced to a total of 44 years in prison and 154 lashes, accused of actions against national security and propaganda against the state.

Speaking with CNN could put her at risk of retribution, but Mohammadi is not worried. She says this is her duty.

KARADSHEH: Every time you speak out, you get punished. Your prison sentence gets longer and longer. You are risking this again with the book. Why did

you feel that, that risk is worth taking?

MOHAMMADI: Every moment of my life has involved confronting the system. A system that was systematically violating human rights. This book too is

part of the course of my life and is written from this perspective. I may have taken risks and there may be consequences, but this is what life is

like for us here in this region and in this country.

KARADSHEH: In the book, you describe some of the terrible things that take place inside Iranian prisons.

[11:20:00]

You name interrogators. You name judges. Why did you feel it was necessary?

MOHAMMADI: In order to document these things, it's better to speak out openly about their methods, to expose and reveal their torture. Perhaps the

names remain in the minds of survivors and prisoners, and later we may be able to identify the person.

KARADSHEH: All these years of being behind bars, being denied medical treatment so many times, what impact has that had on your health, on you

physically and mentally?

MOHAMMADI: One of the government's tools of repression is in fact depriving prisoners of timely and adequate medical treatment in prison, that

seriously endangers their health and, in some cases, leads to their death. These deaths are a form of silent execution without any public attention.

Naturally, I was no exception. I was repeatedly denied medical care, and as a result, I now have medical conditions for which I'm currently receiving

treatment.

KARADSHEH: Do you, at times, sit there and regret the path that you have chosen in your life that has led you to sacrifice your time with your

children and your freedom?

MOHAMMADI: I believe that if I could go back to the moment when I began my struggle and to each and every moment when I was arrested, even knowing

what would happen to me, I would certainly make the same choice to begin the struggle and continue it. I have no doubt about that, and I have no

regrets.

But when I look at Ali and Kiana, I find myself faced with doubt. Did I really have the right to deprive them of a very ordinary life of having

their mother with them? That is the difficult part of the question, and I cannot answer it with certainty.

KARADSHEH: I can see you've got the photo of Mahsa Jina Amini there behind you, and that calligraphy next to you that reads, "Woman, Life, Freedom".

It has been four years since the death of Mahsa Jina Amini in the custody of the so-called morality police and the "Woman, Life, Freedom" uprising

that followed, what has the impact been of this movement?

MOHAMMADI: This is an opportunity through the pages of this book and through this television screen to pay tribute to Mahsa Jina Amini and to

all those killed during the "Woman, Life, Freedom" Movement, the events of January, and all the movements that the people of Iran have courageously

created over the past 47 years.

If you look at the streets of Tehran and even at cities across the country, you can see how courageously women are standing tall in the streets,

despite the fact that the government is repressing them by every possible means in order to push them back.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

ASHER: The Iranian government and official media have downplayed Mohammadi's allegations of mistreatment, despite eyewitness accounts and

international public outcry.

GOLODRYGA: Now, King Charles would prefer the story to be all about AI today, as we mentioned earlier, but instead he finds himself embroiled in

fresh allegations made by the brother of the late Princess Diana. In a new memoir, he claims that King Charles told him days after her death that will

forget her soon enough.

ASHER: Yeah, Charles Spencer claims the then Prince of Wales launched into a stream of anger after Spencer argued that his sister would not have

wanted her children to take part in the funeral procession at the time. Prince William was 15, and Prince Harry was just 12.

GOLODRYGA: Buckingham Palace has released an unusually strong statement in reaction to the book, quote, while we do not comment on books as a matter

of principle, His Majesty is mindful that the pain of fraternal grief can cloud reason, affect judgment, and color memory in ways others do not

recognize, even many years after such a loss.

The intense phone call is described in a chapter of Spencer's book, which is set to be published next week. It has been described as explosive by the

"Daily Mail" and will include heavy criticism of the royal family. And finally, before we go this hour, Travis Kelce has been named as one of the

victims of a $35 million Ponzi scheme.

The NFL star and Taylor Swift's husband reportedly invested in a fund established by Siddharth Jawahar.

ASHER: Yeah, he has now been sentenced to 11 years in federal prison. Prosecutors say between 2016 and 2023 he used money from new investors to

repay older investors and fund his extravagant lifestyle, which included luxury apartments in New York City and Austin, Texas.

GOLODRYGA: All right, do stay with CNN. There's more "One World" in about 30 minutes' time, but CNN "Creators" live from Doha, is next.

[11:25:00]

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[11:30:00]

(CNN CREATORS)

[12:00:00]

END