Recent developments in artificial intelligence (AI) continue to revolutionize nearly every aspect of our lives. AI can also help improve global issues such as peacekeeping, conflict prevention, and humanitarian responses, but if misused, it can pose a potential threat to international peace and security.
In light of this, during the 80th session of the UN General Assembly, Member States held debates to discuss AI governance as well as AI’s implications for international peace and security.
On 24 September, the Security Council convened a high-level open debate on AI, focusing on the impact of AI on international peace and security. The primary objective of the meeting was to foster discussion on mitigating the risks and maximizing the benefits of AI in this context. Participants shared their best practices and approaches to the responsible development, deployment, and use of AI, including in relation to military applications.
The Security Council’s debate was followed by the General Assembly high-level meeting on AI governance on 25 September, launching the Global Dialogue on AI Governance. The meeting, co-facilitated by Costa Rica and Spain, brought together scientists, members of the technology community, the private sector, and civil society. For the first time, all 193 UN Member States had the opportunity to participate in an inclusive global dialogue on AI and shape global cooperation on AI governance.
Addressing AI-related issues
In recent years, the UN General Assembly has been particularly active in addressing AI-related issues.
At the Summit of the Future on 22 September 2024, Member States adopted the Pact for the Future, which includes the Global Digital Compact (GDC) and the Declaration on Future Generations. The GDC also committed to establish a multidisciplinary Independent International Scientific Panel on AI (IISP-AI) and a Global Dialogue on AI Governance. Both bodies were adopted by the UN General Assembly on 26 August 2025, based on recommendations made by the High-Level Advisory Body on Artificial Intelligence in the 2024 UN report, “Governing AI for Humanity”. The objective of the Panel is to issue evidence-based scientific assessments that synthesize and analyze research on the opportunities, risks, and impacts of AI. It will serve as an early warning system against threats such as disinformation, algorithmic manipulation, or the use of AI in autonomous weapons systems. Its work will help ensure that policymaking is grounded in independent scientific assessments.
On 24 December 2024, the UN General Assembly adopted a resolution, co-drafted by the Netherlands and the Republic of Korea, regarding AI in the military domain and its implications for international peace and security. The resolution highlights the need for the responsible and human-centred use of AI in these contexts.
Also, regionally, in the European Union (EU), the use of artificial intelligence is regulated by the AI Act, the world’s first comprehensive AI law, which sets a risk-based AI classification system. The new rules establish obligations for providers and users depending on the level of AI risk classification. AI systems that are used in different applications are analyzed and classified according to the risk they pose. The EU AI Act aims to address risks to health, safety, and fundamental rights, while also protecting democracy, the rule of law, and the environment.
AI influence on peace and security
In his opening speech at the Security Council debate, the Secretary-General, António Guterres, said that “the question is not whether AI will influence international peace and security, but how we will shape that influence.” He outlined four priorities, such as ensuring human control over the use of force, coherent global regulatory frameworks, protecting information integrity in situations of conflict, closing the AI capacity gap, and creating space for all nations to shape our AI future.
Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis underlined that “the choices we make on artificial intelligence will not only redefine the balance of power, but also determine whether technology becomes a force for human progress, or a drive for human peril.” He added that “the United Nations carries a historic responsibility to chart a path where innovation strengthens peace, where responsibility tempers power, and where technology serves humanity’s highest aspirations.”
Deputy Prime Minister of the United Kingdom David Lammy noted that “we are crossing humanity’s most profound technological frontier. Our lives, our world, our politics are about to be flooded with super-powerful AI.” He added that there is only one way forward, through resilience – by learning how to use these tools and by embedding them safely in society.
The Representative of Denmark highlighted that AI could bring new opportunities to sustainable development, human rights, and peace and security, but it also carries significant risks. It can exacerbate the security threats that can destabilize societies, jeopardize democracies, and also undermine the efforts of the UN Peacekeepers. On the other hand, AI can be used to detect and address cyber-threats, monitoring the implementation of sanction regimes, and countering mis- and disinformation and hate speech. AI has the potential to enhance the operational effectiveness of peace operations and support the monitoring of cease-fire agreements. AI models can process data from satellites, drones, and sensors in real-time to monitor the movements of troops, vehicles, and artillery and issue automated alerts. These new technologies can make the decision-making process more efficient.
France stated that, used responsibly, AI data collection and analysis capabilities can improve the protection of civilian populations. AI can be mobilized to identify early warning signals of conflicts. AI also enables us to better anticipate and manage the risks associated with humanitarian crises or climate disasters. France called for collective mobilization so that artificial intelligence remains a tool at the service of peace, sustainable development and human rights. “We must act together so this technological revolution means shared progress for all and not new divisions.”
Portuguese President Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa said that the integration of AI into the military domain can have profound implications. If misused, it can threaten global stability and jeopardize the international humanitarian role. This is the case with autonomous weapon systems. He stressed that human control, decision, and accountability are crucial: “It is a moral, ethical and legal responsibility that cannot and should not be delegated.”
Dick Schoof, the Prime Minister of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, underlined that AI is a technology that can advance faster than we expect, so we need to move quickly too and keep this issue on the global UN agenda.
Shaping the future of AI governance
During the launch of the Global Dialogue on Artificial Intelligence Governance, the UN Secretary-General António Guterres highlighted that the trajectory of artificial intelligence will depend on our readiness to listen, to adapt, and to cooperate – across borders and disciplines. The Global Dialogue on AI Governance is the first pillar of a global strategy presented by António Guterres. The second pillar consists of the International and Independent Scientific Panel on AI, comprising 40 experts. Finally, the third pillar, a Global Fund for Capacity Development, directly addresses the digital divide.
The President of the General Assembly, Annalena Baerbock, mentioned three challenges that loom: the concentration of AI benefits, governance that must be fast and fair, and sustainability as AI uses vast amounts of energy.
Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez Pérez-Castejón urged that “the rise of artificial intelligence is unstoppable, but it cannot be ungovernable. And we need to govern it together. Such powerful technology cannot remain siloed off into private interests or authoritarian states.” He highlighted the need to act because “millions of people could be left unprotected” as many jobs will disappear and global inequality gaps may widen. Spain also announced a contribution of three million euros and revealed that Valencia will host the UN’s first For Humanity Lab on AI.
Costa Rican Foreign Minister Arnoldo André Tinoco recalled that “Eighty years ago, the generation that founded this Organization faced the challenge of taming the atom: a force capable of both lighting up cities and destroying them. Our generation inherits a similar responsibility: to guide the development of artificial intelligence with wisdom. And that future will be written here, at the United Nations, with scientific excellence and political inclusion.”
The European Union, represented by the Latvian Minister of Foreign Affairs, emphasized that the UN is an appropriate forum to address the global impact of emerging technologies. The European Union confirmed its readiness to continue sharing its own experience in understanding and governing AI through the AI Act and policy measures, as well as supporting research innovation, deployment, and capacity building. The EU reminded that as we shape the future of AI, we must do so with a clear commitment to a human-centric vision, grounded in fundamental freedoms and human rights, democratic values, and the rule of law.
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