The UN Security Council met for the first time on Tuesday on the threat artificial intelligence poses to international peace and stability, with Secretary-General António Guterres urging the global watchdog to monitor new technologies that are causing at least as much concern. called the surveillance agency. I hope
Guterres said AI could ease the way for criminals, terrorists and other actors seeking to cause “death and destruction on an unimaginable scale, widespread trauma, and profound psychological damage.” I warned you there is.
Launched last year, ChatGPT can create text from prompts, mimic speech, and generate photos, illustrations, and videos, but with increased vigilance against misinformation and manipulation.
On Tuesday, diplomats and leading AI experts briefed the Security Council on the risks and threats of new technologies, as well as their scientific and social benefits. Despite accelerated development, there are still many unknowns about the technology.
“It’s like building an engine without understanding the science of combustion,” says Jack Clark, co-founder of AI safety research firm Anthropic. He said private companies should not be the sole creators and regulators of AI.
Guterres said the UN oversight body should act as a governing body to regulate, monitor and enforce AI regulations in much the same way other agencies oversee aviation, climate and nuclear power.
The proposed agency will consist of experts in the field who will share their expertise with governments and administrations that may lack the technical know-how to address AI threats.
But prospects for a legally binding resolution on its governance remain distant. But the majority of diplomats did. He supported the concept of a global governance mechanism and a set of international rules.
“No country is immune to AI, so the broadest coalition of international actors from all sectors must be involved and engaged,” said the UK presiding over the meeting as it is the rotating chairman of the Council this month. said British Foreign Secretary James Cleverley. .
Russia expressed skepticism that, contrary to the view of the majority of the Council, the risks of AI are known enough to list it as a threat source of global instability. China’s ambassador to the United Nations Zhang Jun also opposed the enactment of a set of global laws, saying international regulatory bodies must be flexible enough to allow countries to formulate their own rules.
However, the Chinese ambassador said his country opposes the use of AI as a “means to build military hegemony and undermine national sovereignty”.
The military use of autonomous weapons for assassination purposes on the battlefield and in other countries has also made headlines, such as the satellite-controlled AI robots Israel sent to Iran to kill leading nuclear scientist Mohsen Fakhrizadeh.
Guterres said the United Nations must develop a legally binding agreement banning the use of AI in automatic warfare weapons by 2026.
Professor Rebecca Willett, director of the AI division at the University of Chicago’s Data Science Institute, said in an interview that when regulating technology, it’s important not to lose sight of the people behind it.
The system is not fully autonomous. And the people who design them need to take responsibility, she said.
“That’s one of the reasons the United Nations is paying attention to this issue,” Professor Willett said. “International influence is really needed to prevent companies based in one country from destroying other countries without violating international agreements. We can make it safer.”
