UN urges global rules to ensure AI benefits humanity
AI, while transformative, poses existential risks if weaponised, with leaders urging human oversight, ethical standards, and international regulation to ensure global safety.
The UN Security Council debated AI, noting its potential to boost development but warning of risks, particularly in military use. Secretary-General António Guterres called AI a ‘double-edged sword,’ supporting development but posing threats if left unregulated.
He urged legally binding restrictions on lethal autonomous weapons and insisted nuclear decisions remain under human control.
Experts and leaders emphasised the urgent need for global regulation, equitable access, and trustworthy AI systems. Yoshua Bengio of Université de Montréal warned of risks from misaligned AI, cyberattacks, and economic concentration, calling for greater oversight.
Stanford’s Yejin Choi highlighted the concentration of AI expertise in a few countries and companies, stressing that democratising AI and reducing bias is key to ensuring global benefits.
Representatives warned that AI could deepen digital inequality in developing regions, especially Africa, due to limited access to data and infrastructure.
Delegates from Guyana, Somalia, Sierra Leone, Algeria, and Panama called for international rules to ensure transparency, fairness, and prevent dominance by a few countries or companies. Others, including the United States, cautioned that overregulation could stifle innovation and centralise power.
Delegates stressed AI’s risks in security, urging Yemen, Poland, and the Netherlands called for responsible use in conflict with human oversight and ethical accountability.Leaders from Portugal and the Netherlands said AI frameworks must promote innovation, security, and serve humanity and peace.
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