UN Security Council to hold its inaugural formal session on AI’s impact on global peace & security

Considering how artificial intelligence (AI) has taken the world by storm, and plans by governments across the globe on how to mitigate the dangers of this new-age tech, the United Nations Security Council is set to hold its inaugural formal discussion on AI, to be held this week in New York.

Britain will lead the discussion and aims to call for an international dialogue on AI's impact on global peace and security. It must be noted that James Cleverly, the British Foreign Secretary, would chair the meeting which is scheduled to be conducted on 18 July.

Nations considering mitigating the perils posed by AI

With the advent of OpenAI’s ChatGPT, national governments are actively considering curtailing the potential dangers of emerging AI technology, which might alter the international security landscape. The above-mentioned meeting would include briefings by Antonio Guterres, UN’s Secretary-General as well as by several international AI experts.

In the words of the UN Chief, "These scientists and experts have called on the world to act, declaring AI an existential threat to humanity on a par with the risk of nuclear war." He also revealed plans of appointing an advisory board on AI in September so as to work on initiatives that the UN can take. He added that he would react favourably to a new UN agency on AI.

The UK Ambassador, Barbara Woodward, stated that the country wants to encourage “a multilateral approach to managing both the huge opportunities and the risks that artificial intelligence holds for all of us,” emphasising that “this is going to take a global effort.”

Woodward also mentioned that though AI is equipped with huge potential which could tremendously benefit mankind like improving humanitarian aid operations and assisting peacekeeping operations, among others, nonetheless, it also possesses huge risks including security concerns, which must be addressed at the earliest.