UNGA Resolution on AI in the military domain and implications for peace and security

Resolution adopted by the General Assembly on 24 December 2024 

[on the report of the First Committee (A/79/408, para. 114)] 

79/239. Artificial intelligence in the military domain and its implications for international peace and security 

The General Assembly, 

Affirming that international law, including the Charter of the United Nations, international humanitarian law and international human rights law, applies to matters governed by it that occur throughout the life cycle of artificial intelligence capabilities as well as the systems they enable in the military domain, 

Stressing the importance of ensuring responsible application of artificial intelligence in the military domain, which, for the purpose of this resolution, includes human-centric, accountable, safe, secure and trustworthy artificial intelligence used in compliance with international law, 

Bearing in mind that this resolution focuses on the whole life cycle of artificial intelligence capabilities applied in the military domain, including the stages of pre-design, design, development, evaluation, testing, deployment, use, sale, procurement, operation and decommissioning, and that this resolution does not cover artificial intelligence in the civilian domain, 

Mindful that States have started to increasingly integrate artificial intelligence into a broad array of applications in the military domain, including into weapons, weapon systems, and other means and methods of warfare, as well as systems that support military operations, 

Cognizant of potential implications for international peace and security, in particular in the fields of arms control, disarmament and non-proliferation, resulting from developments related to the application of artificial intelligence in the military domain,

Recognizing the need to enhance a shared understanding of potential effects of artificial intelligence in the military domain to harness the benefits while minimizing the risks of its use, and the need to further assess them, 

Mindful of the potential opportunities and benefits of artificial intelligence in the military domain, such as in the areas of compliance with international humanitarian law, including protection of civilians and civilian objects in armed conflict, 

Mindful also of the challenges and concerns that the application of artificial intelligence in the military domain raises from humanitarian, legal, security, technological and ethical perspectives, as well as the possible impact of such applications on international security and stability, including the risk of an arms race, miscalculation, lowering the threshold for conflict and escalation of conflict, proliferation to non-State actors, and also noting the possible consequences with regard to, inter alia, gender, racial, age or social aspects that could potentially be caused by bias in datasets or other algorithmic biases of artificial intelligence, 

Mindful further of the need for States to implement appropriate safeguards, including measures that relate to human judgment and control over the use of force, in order to ensure responsible application of artificial intelligence in the military domain consistent with their respective obligations under applicable international law, 

Taking note of the report of the Secretary-General on current developments in science and technology and their potential impact on international security and disarmament efforts,1 

Recognizing the need to narrow the existing digital and artificial intelligence divides in societies and economies between and within developed and developing countries, with specific consideration given to the needs, priorities and conditions of developing countries, and therefore cognizant of the importance to enhance international cooperation and strengthening capacity-building, 

Recognizing also the criticality of enhanced understanding and awareness of the implications of artificial intelligence in the military domain, including through knowledge exchange and the sharing of good practices and lessons learned among all States, 

Acknowledging the contribution of United Nations entities, international and regional organizations, as well as the International Committee of the Red Cross, academia, civil society, the technical community and the private sector in supporting States in understanding and addressing the peace and security implications of the application of artificial intelligence in the military domain, and underlining the importance of a multi-stakeholder approach, 

Acknowledging also national, regional, subregional and global efforts undertaken to address the potential risks to international peace and security that could be raised by the application of artificial intelligence in the military domain, including through the development of relevant national strategies, legislation, principles, norms, policies and measures, and recognizing the importance of promoting dialogue at all levels, 

Taking note of the Pact for the Future, including the decision by Heads of State and Government to continue to assess the existing and potential risks associated with the military applications of artificial intelligence and the possible opportunities throughout their life cycle, in consultation with relevant stakeholders, 

Taking note also of the discussions currently taking place in the United Nations Disarmament Commission on recommendations on common understandings related to emerging technologies in the context of international security and in the Conference on Disarmament, and noting also the meeting of the United Nations Security Council on artificial intelligence: opportunities and risks for international peace and security, held on 18 July 2023, 

Acknowledging the urgent need for the international community to address the challenges and concerns raised by emerging technologies in the area of lethal autonomous weapons systems, in particular through the ongoing and valuable work of the Group of Governmental Experts on Emerging Technologies in the Area of Lethal Autonomous Weapons Systems, established under the Convention on Prohibitions or Restrictions on the Use of Certain Conventional Weapons and welcoming the progress made in these discussions, as well as taking note of the report of the Secretary-General submitted pursuant to United Nations General Assembly resolution 78/241 of 22 December 2023 on lethal autonomous weapons systems, as well as the need to ensure complementarity between discussions in this regard and discussions on the broader security implications of artificial intelligence in the military domain, 

Recognizing the value of an inclusive multilateral exchange of views on artificial intelligence in the military domain and its implications for international peace and security, 

1. Affirms that international law, including the Charter of the United Nations, international humanitarian law and international human rights law, applies to matters governed by it that occur throughout all stages of the life cycle of artificial intelligence, including systems enabled by artificial intelligence, in the military domain; 

2. Encourages States to pursue national, regional, subregional and global efforts to address the opportunities and challenges, including from humanitarian, legal, security, technological and ethical perspectives, related to the application of artificial intelligence in the military domain; 

3. Also encourages States to continue assessing implications of the application of artificial intelligence in the military domain for international peace and security, including through a multilateral dialogue in relevant international forums; 

4. Encourages the Secretariat and other entities of the United Nations system, through voluntary contributions, to facilitate knowledge-sharing and raise awareness of the implications of artificial intelligence in the military domain for international peace and security, such as by convening a series of exchanges on this topic; 

5. Encourages States to convene exchanges on responsible application of artificial intelligence in the military domain, including within the United Nations, in cooperation with States, academia, civil society, international and regional organizations and the private sector, while promoting the complementarity between these exchanges and the relevant efforts and processes; 

6. Resolves to bridge the divides between countries with regard to responsible artificial intelligence in the military domain, and calls upon States to take action to cooperate on a voluntary basis in providing assistance to and sharing knowledge with developing countries by exchanging good practices and lessons learned on ensuring responsible application of artificial intelligence in the military domain; 

7. Requests the Secretary-General to seek the views of Member States and observer States on the opportunities and challenges posed to international peace and security by the application of artificial intelligence in the military domain, with specific focus on areas other than lethal autonomous weapons systems, and to submit a substantive report summarizing those views and cataloguing existing and emerging normative proposals, with an annex containing these views, to the General Assembly at its eightieth session, for further discussion by States; 

8. Also requests the Secretary-General to invite the views of international and regional organizations, the International Committee of the Red Cross, civil society, the scientific community and industry and to include these views in the original language received in the annex to the aforementioned report; 

9. Decides to include in the provisional agenda of its eightieth session, under the item entitled “General and complete disarmament”, a sub-item entitled “Artificial intelligence in the military domain and its implications for international peace and security”. 

55th (resumed) plenary meeting 

24 December 2024