Translation. Region: Russian Federal
Source: United Nations – United Nations –
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September 24, 2025 Peace and security
Artificial intelligence is transforming everyday life, the information space, the global economy, and impacting international security at breathtaking speed. These were the words of Secretary-General António Guterres, speaking Wednesday at the UN Security Council's high-level open debate on AI.
“The question is not whether AI will impact international peace and security, but how we will shape that impact,” the UN chief said.
Defense tool or weapon?
When used responsibly, Guterres noted, AI can help prevent conflicts and protect populations, including by identifying potential outbreaks of violence. AI is also used in mine clearance and other areas.
At the same time, it can also be turned into a weapon. Artificial intelligence is already actively used in conflicts.
"AI-enabled cyberattacks can destroy critical infrastructure or disrupt its operations in minutes. The ability to falsify and manipulate audio and video footage threatens the integrity of information, increases polarization, and could trigger diplomatic crises," the Secretary-General said.
AI, International Security, and the Role of the Security Council
One of the main objectives of the open debate in the Council is to stimulate discussion on the issues of reducing the risks associated with the use of AI and maximizing its benefits in the context of international peace and security, taking into account the potential role of the Security Council in this process.
“The UN [Security] Council and member states must ensure that the military use of AI is fully consistent with international law and the UN Charter,” Guterres said.
Human control
He stressed that a person must control any decision to use force.
"The fate of humanity cannot be left to the discretion of an algorithm. People must always retain control over life-and-death decisions," he stated.
Guterres also called for the creation of a global regulatory framework for the use of AI.
AI could put all of humanity at risk.
Given the significant advances in artificial intelligence technologies, which can both enhance and undermine international security, Security Council members have recently begun to pay increased attention to this issue. Today's meeting is the third formal meeting of the Council dedicated to AI. The United Kingdom held the first meeting on this topic in July 2023, and the United States held the second in December 2024.
The debate on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly High-Level Week is being held under the presidency of South Korea. Guest speakers include Yejin Choi, a senior fellow at the Stanford University Institute for Human-Centered AI, and Yoshua Bengio, a professor at the University of Montreal and co-president of the non-profit organization LawZero.
Bengio warned that humanity currently lacks the knowledge to control the most advanced artificial intelligence systems. This is already creating serious problems, he noted, citing recent incidents involving chatbots that could have endangered the lives of people with mental disorders.
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The professor added that AI could outperform humans in most cognitive tasks within the next five years.
"If the capabilities of artificial intelligence models continue to exceed human capabilities without scientific guarantees of their safety…, we will reach a point where AI can act irreversibly, beyond anyone's control and putting all of humanity at risk," Bengio said.
"We must be careful not to cede our collective human and national sovereignty to companies or the AI models they use. We must act immediately to collectively mitigate all these risks. This problem is not limited to the borders of any one country; it threatens us all," he added, addressing the Security Council members.
Democratizing AI
Yejin Choi stated the need to ensure that AI systems represent all communities and are accessible to the entire global population. Much remains to be done to achieve this, she noted.
"We must shift our focus to what truly matters to humanity: linguistic and cultural diversity and pluralistic values. Current leading AI models are ineffective in many languages other than English and reflect limited cultural attitudes," the professor said.
This leads to the systematic exclusion of entire communities from AI development and the maximization of its benefits. Choi emphasized that systems must be built from the ground up to be receptive to diverse languages, contexts, and perspectives.
She called for the creation of a public AI infrastructure that would be accessible to everyone.
Positions of countries
In his speech, Russia's Permanent Representative to the UN, Vasily Nebenzya, stated that the topic of artificial intelligence is not related to the "clearly defined mandate of the Security Council to maintain international peace and security, as defined in the UN Charter."
According to him, there is an “unnatural bias towards the representation of Western countries” in the Security Council.
"Therefore, there is a high risk that this group of states, interested in maintaining and strengthening their technological leadership in this area, will attempt to impose their narrowly self-serving approach on the entire international community," Nebenzya said.
He added that specialized forums exist for discussing AI, including the Group of Governmental Experts on Lethal Autonomous Weapons Systems and the UN Disarmament Commission. The UN as a whole "can and should play a coordinating role in AI development," the Russian Permanent Representative believes.
Deputy Permanent Representative of France to the UN Jay Dharmadhikari said that new opportunities offered by artificial intelligence should enhance the effectiveness of the United Nations.
"When used responsibly, AI's data collection and analysis capabilities can improve the protection of civilians and facilitate the work of peacekeeping operations," he said.
The diplomat called for the creation of a common AI governance architecture based on international law. The Security Council, he believes, has a special role to play in this.
Please note: This information is raw content obtained directly from the source. It represents an accurate account of the source's assertions and does not necessarily reflect the position of MIL-OSI or its clients.
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