At first UNSC meeting on AI, warnings issued on risks, serious consequences for peace, security

The United Nations Security Council held its first meeting on artificial intelligence (AI) risks on Tuesday (July 18). During the meeting, China said that artificial intelligence should not become a "runaway horse". The US meanwhile, underlined that AI should not be used to censor or repress people. The UNSC meet was chaired by Britain's Foreign Secretary James Cleverly. He said that AI will "fundamentally alter every aspect of human life."

"We urgently need to shape the global governance of transformative technologies because AI knows no borders," Cleverly added after saying that AI could help address climate change and boost economies. But he also warned that the technology fuels disinformation and could aid both state and non-state actors inquest for weapons.

The 15-member council was briefed by United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres along with Jack Clark, co-founder of hi-profile AI startup Anthropic, and Professor Zeng Yi, co-director of the China-UK Research Center for AI Ethics and Governance.

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"Both military and non-military applications of AI could have very serious consequences for global peace and security," Guterres said.

Guterres supported calls by some countries for a United Nations body "to support collective efforts to govern this extraordinary technology," modeled on the International Atomic Energy Agency, the International Civil Aviation Organization, or the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change.

China supports UN's central role

Zhang Jun, China UN Ambassador described AI as a "double-edged sword". He said that Beijing supports a central co-ordinating role of the United Nations when it comes to establishing guiding principles for AI.

"Whether it is good or bad, good or evil, depends on how mankind utilizes it, regulates it and how we balance scientific development with security," Zhang said, adding that there should be a focus on people and AI for good to regulate development and to "prevent this technology from becoming a runaway horse."

Jeffrey Deaurentis, Deputy US Ambassador to the UN, said that there was a need for countries to work together on AI and other emerging tech to curb risks threatening to undermine peace and security.

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Artificial intelligence has long been a reality but it became a buzzword in November last year after launch of OpenAI's ChatGPT, the generative AI chatbot that can answer queries, write poetry and even write complex computer codes. ChatGPT has been a hit and brought the discussion over AI to the forefront in tech as well as political world. After ChatGPT's success, tech companies worldover have jumped the AI bandwagon and have associated themselves with the development of their own AI.

(With inputs from agencies)

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