The UN Security Council held its first formal meeting on artificial intelligence (AI). Recognizing the need to “confront the new reality of generative and other” AI, speakers highlighted opportunities and risks this technology presents for international peace and security, sustainable development, and human rights.

UN Secretary-General António Guterres compared the speed and reach of AI’s development to the introduction of the printing press, noting that “while it took more than 50 years for printed books to become widely available across Europe, ChatGPT reached 100 million users in just two months.”

The Secretary-General underscored AI’s potential to “turbocharge global development” and realize human rights, particularly to health and education, while also acknowledging “evidence that AI can amplify bias, reinforce discrimination and enable new levels of authoritarian surveillance,” as highlighted by the High Commissioner for Human Rights.

Acknowledging that even the UN has been using AI to identify patterns of violence and to monitor ceasefires, Guterres highlighted the political, legal, ethical, and humanitarian concerns the technology presents for peace and security, including through its malicious use.

The Secretary-General further noted that “[w]hile many countries have called for different measures and initiatives around the governance of AI, this requires a universal approach.” He drew attention to the complexity of questions of governance surrounding AI due to: its wide availability to the general public; the ease with which it can be moved around the world “leaving very little trace”; and the private sector’s leading role in the field.

Among the entry points to advance global AI governance, Guterres identified:

• The 2018-2019 guiding principles on lethal autonomous weapons systems, agreed through the Convention on Certain Conventional Weapons;
• The 2021 recommendations on the Ethics of AI, agreed through the UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO);
• Recommendations on tackling the potential use of AI for terrorist purposes by the Office of Counter-Terrorism, with the UN Interregional Crime and Justice Research Institute (UNICRI); and
• The AI for Good summits hosted by the International Telecommunications Union (ITU).

The Secretary-General stressed the need to “address existing challenges while also creating the capacity to monitor and respond to future risks,” and welcomed calls from some Member States for the establishment of a new UN entity to support AI’s collective governance, based on such models as the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO), or the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC).

Guterres indicated that, as a first step, he will convene “a multistakeholder High-Level Advisory Board for Artificial Intelligence that will report back on the options for global AI governance, by the end of this year.” He also reiterated the recommendations on AI governance put forward in his Our Common Agenda (OCA) policy brief titled, ‘A New Agenda for Peace,’ including:

• Develop national strategies on the responsible design, development, and use of AI, consistent with Member States’ obligations under international humanitarian law and human rights law;
• Engage in a multilateral process to develop norms, rules, and principles around military applications of AI, while ensuring the engagement of other relevant stakeholders; and
• Agree on a global framework to regulate and strengthen oversight mechanisms for the use of data-driven technology, including AI, for counter-terrorism purposes.

“We need a race to develop AI for good,” the Secretary-General emphasized, “AI that is reliable and safe and that can end poverty, banish hunger, cure cancer, supercharge climate action [and] … propel[] us towards” the SDGs. 

Briefing the Council, Jack Clark, Co-founder of Anthropic, said “although AI can bring huge benefits, it also poses threats to peace, security, and global stability due to its potential for misuse and its unpredictability – two essential qualities of AI systems.” He warned against leaving the development of AI “solely to private-sector actors.”

In the ensuing debate, Council members highlighted “the transformative opportunities AI offers for addressing global challenges and the risks it poses,” with many stressing the need to establish an ethical and responsible framework for international AI governance.

The debate took place on 18 July 2023. [Video Recording] [UN Meetings Coverage] [UN Secretary-General’s Remarks]