SpaceWar.com - Your World At War
UN chief warns of AI risks to global peace
United Nations, United States, July 18 (AFP) Jul 18, 2023
UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres on Tuesday warned that artificial intelligence could pose a risk to global peace and security, calling on all member states to urgently set up guardrails to keep the technology in check.

"It is clear that AI will have an impact on every area of our lives," Guterres said at the first UN Security Council meeting on the topic.

"Generative AI has enormous potential for good and evil at scale," he added, noting that while it could help end poverty or cure cancer, the technology could also have "very serious consequences for global peace and security."

British Foreign Secretary James Cleverly, whose country currently holds the rotating Security Council presidency, said AI "will affect the work of this council. It could enhance or disrupt global strategic stability."

"It challenges our fundamental assumptions about defense and deterrence. It poses moral questions about accountability for lethal decisions on the battlefield," said Cleverly, whose government will host an AI summit later this year.

Guterres asked member states to put in place a legally binding pact to "prohibit lethal autonomous weapons systems" by the end of 2026.

While AI can be used to identify patterns of violence or to monitor ceasefires, Guterres said, he warned that its use by terrorists or governments with ill intent could cause "horrific levels of death and destruction."

He also warned that malfunctioning AI could wreak havoc, especially if the technology is used in connection with nuclear weapons systems or biotechnology.

"I urge agreement on the general principle that human agency and control are essential for nuclear weapons and should never be withdrawn," he said.

He called for a working group to develop options for global AI governance by year's end.

And he reiterated his support for a United Nations entity to support efforts to govern the use of AI, modeled after the International Atomic Energy Agency or the International Civil Aviation Organization.


ADVERTISEMENT




Space News from SpaceDaily.com
UCF researchers developing new methods to passively mitigate lunar dust for space exploration
NASA Research Shows Path Toward Protocells on Titan
NASA to launch SNIFS, Sun's next trailblazing spectator

24/7 Energy News Coverage
AI helps automate nuclear reactor licensing process at INL
Battery sharing model boosts savings for local energy communities
Bifacial CuInSe2 solar cells achieve record efficiency on transparent substrates

Military Space News, Nuclear Weapons, Missile Defense
Kremlin cautions 'lots of work' ahead before Ukraine peace deal
Eutelsat strikes global satellite internet deal with UK govt
US promises Philippine president to ramp up deterrence on China

24/7 News Coverage
Restoring sea floor after mining may not be possible, researchers warn
China starts construction of Tibet mega-dam
Brazil's Congress passes bill easing environmental licensing rules



All rights reserved. Copyright Agence France-Presse. Sections of the information displayed on this page (dispatches, photographs, logos) are protected by intellectual property rights owned by Agence France-Presse. As a consequence, you may not copy, reproduce, modify, transmit, publish, display or in any way commercially exploit any of the content of this section without the prior written consent of Agence France-Presse.