The United Nations Security Council held its first meeting on artificial intelligence (AI) on Tuesday (19). China has said the technology must not become a “running horse,” and the United States has warned against using it for censorship or repressing people.
UK Foreign Secretary James Cleverley, who chaired the meeting during his presidency in July, said AI would “fundamentally transform every aspect of human life”.
“Because AI knows no borders, we urgently need to shape the global governance of transformative technologies,” he said after saying artificial intelligence could help tackle climate change and boost the economy. But smartly warned that technology can fuel misinformation and aid state and non-state actors in hunting down weapons.
The 15-member council was instructed by UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres and UN Co-Founder Jack Clarke. Initial Artificial Intelligence Anthropic and Professor Zheng Yi, Co-Director of the China-UK Research Center for AI Ethics and Governance.
Peace and security are at stake
“The military and non-military applications of AI will have very serious consequences for global peace and security,” Guterres said.
He supports calls by some countries to create a new UN body “to support collective efforts to manage this extraordinary technology”, based on the International Atomic Energy Agency, the International Civil Aviation Organization or the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change.
Zhang Jun, China’s ambassador to the UN, described AI as a “double-edged sword” and said Beijing supports a central coordinating role for the UN in establishing guiding principles for AI.
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