SRINAGAR: Secretary-General António Guterres on Thursday warned the UN Security Council that artificial intelligence (AI) must not decide humanity’s fate, calling for urgent international action to ensure the technology is governed responsibly, UN News reported.
“AI is no longer a distant horizon – it is here, transforming daily life, the information space, and the global economy at breathtaking speed,” Guterres told delegates during a high-level debate on AI’s security implications. “The question is not whether AI will influence international peace and security, but how we will shape that influence.”
Guterres emphasised that, when used responsibly, AI has enormous potential to benefit humanity — from anticipating food insecurity and supporting de-mining operations to identifying outbreaks of violence before they spiral out of control. But he cautioned that, without robust safeguards, AI could be weaponised, noting its use in targeting systems, cyberattacks on critical infrastructure, and the creation of deepfakes capable of fuelling polarisation or undermining diplomacy.
“The ability to fabricate and manipulate audio and video threatens information integrity, fuels polarisation, and can trigger diplomatic crises…humanity’s fate cannot be left to an algorithm,” he stressed.
The UN chief outlined four priorities for governments: maintaining human control over the use of force, developing coherent global regulatory frameworks, protecting information integrity, and closing the “AI capacity gap” between rich and poor nations. He reiterated his call for a ban on lethal autonomous weapons operating without human oversight and insisted that decisions on nuclear weapons remain firmly in human hands.
The high-level debate coincided with the launch of two new landmark initiatives designed to create inclusive international AI governance: the Global Dialogue on AI Governance and the Independent International Scientific Panel on AI. Both initiatives stem from recommendations of the UN’s 2024 report, Governing AI for Humanity, and were established by a UN General Assembly resolution in August 2025.
“These two global mechanisms are not just new functions,” said UN Special Envoy for Digital and Emerging Technologies Amandeep Singh Gill. “They are building blocks of a new architecture of technology governance. AI’s impact is global, but its governance is not. For the first time, all 193 member countries of the UN will have a seat at the table in shaping international cooperation on AI governance.”
The Global Dialogue aims to facilitate the exchange of best practices, enhance international interoperability of AI rules, and provide a forum for sharing lessons from significant AI incidents. Meanwhile, the Scientific Panel will offer impartial, evidence-based guidance on AI risks and opportunities, producing an annual report to inform policymaking.
Experts at the Security Council meeting, including Stanford University’s Yejin Choi, warned that AI’s benefits are currently concentrated among a handful of companies and countries, leaving much of the world “waiting at the door.” She called for investments in smaller, adaptive AI systems, greater linguistic and cultural inclusivity, and expanded access for all nations.
Closing the session, Guterres warned that the window for effective regulation is closing fast. “From nuclear arms control to aviation safety, the international community has risen to the challenge of technologies that could destabilise our societies,” he said. “The window is closing to shape AI – for peace, for justice, for humanity. We must act without delay.”
The Security Council session was convened by the Republic of Korea, which holds the Council presidency for September, and attended by heads of state and government during the ongoing high-level week of the UN General Assembly’s 80th session.
