NEW YORK: The UNSC held its first meeting on artificial intelligence (AI) on Tuesday, where China said the technology must not become a “runaway horse,” and the US warned against its use to stifle or repress people.
The UK’s Foreign Secretary James Cleverly, who presided over the meeting under Britain’s July presidency of the body, said Artificial Intelligence will “basically change every aspect of human life.”
UNSC Meets for First Time on Artificial Intelligence Risks
“We immediately need to form the global governance of transformative technologies as artificial intelligence knows no borders,” he maintained after adding that artificial intelligence could help address challenges of climate change and improve economies. But he also warned that the technology fuels a flood of disinformation and could help both non-state and state actors in pursuit of arms.
The UNSC was also briefed by UN chief Antonio Guterres, co-founder of high-profile AI startup Anthropic Jack Clark, and Professor Zeng Yi, co-director of the China-UK Research Center for artificial intelligence Ethics and Governance.
The UN chief said that both non-military and military applications of artificial intelligence could have serious consequences for world peace and security.
He backs calls by some nations for the constitution of a new UN body “to help collective efforts to govern this astonishing technology,” modeled on the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, or the International Civil Aviation Organization.
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China’s UN envoy Zhang Jun termed AI as a “double-edged sword” and said China supports a central coordinating role of the United Nations on establishing guiding principles for artificial intelligence.
Deputy US envoy to the United Nations, Jeffrey DeLaurentis, also said there was a need for nations to also work together on artificial intelligence and other developing technologies to resolve human rights risks that threaten to undermine security and peace.
Moscow questioned whether the UNSC, which is charged with maintaining global peace and security, should be discussing artificial intelligence.
