United Nations: The UN Security Council held its first meeting on artificial intelligence on Tuesday, where China said the technology should not become a “runaway horse” and the United States warned against using it to censor or suppress people.
UK Foreign Secretary James Cleverly, who chaired the meeting under Britain’s chairmanship of the body in July, said AI would “fundamentally transform every aspect of human life.”
After saying that AI can help address climate change and boost economies, he added, “We urgently need transformative technologies to shape global governance because AI knows no boundaries.” But he also warned that the technology fuels disinformation and can aid both state and non-state actors in their search for weapons.
The 15-member council was briefed by UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, Jack Clarke, co-founder of high-profile AI startup Anthropic, and Professor Zeng Yi, co-director of the China-UK Research Center for AI Ethics and Governance.
“Both military and non-military applications of AI can have very serious consequences for global peace and security,” Guterres said.
Guterres urged some states to call for the creation of a new United Nations body along the lines of the International Atomic Energy Agency, the International Civil Aviation Organization, or the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change “to support collective efforts to control this extraordinary technology”. supported the call.
China’s UN ambassador Zhang Jun described AI as a “double-edged sword” and said Beijing supports the UN’s central coordinating role on establishing guiding principles for AI.
“Whether it is good or bad, good or bad, depends on how mankind uses it, how it controls it and how we balance scientific development with security,” Zhang said , The focus should be on people and AI to regulate development. and “Prevent this technology from becoming a runaway horse.”
Deputy US Ambassador to the United Nations, Jeffrey DeLaurentis, also said that countries also need to work together on AI and other emerging technologies to address human rights risks that undermine peace and security.
“No member state should use AI to censor, restrict, suppress or disempower people,” he told the council.
Russia questioned whether the council, which is charged with maintaining international peace and security, should discuss AI.
“A professional, scientific, expertise-based discussion is necessary which could take several years and this discussion is already underway in specialized platforms,” said Dmitry Polyansky, Russia’s deputy UN ambassador.
(Reporting by Michelle Nicholls; Editing by Aurora Ellis)