Artificial Intelligence
Expected Council Action
In September, the Republic of Korea (ROK) is planning to organise a high-level briefing on artificial intelligence (AI) as the signature event of its presidency.
Background
The Security Council has only recently begun to explore the linkages between AI and international peace and security. The UK held the Council’s first formal meeting on this topic during its July 2023 presidency. The US convened the second formal meeting in December 2024. Council members have also hosted Arria-formula meetings on topics related to AI. Albania and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) organised one in December 2023 on AI’s impact on hate speech, disinformation, and misinformation. On 4 April, Greece, France, and the ROK organised an Arria-formula meeting on harnessing safe, inclusive, and trustworthy AI for maintaining international peace and security, co-sponsored by Armenia, Italy, and the Netherlands.
At the 4 April meeting, most participating members welcomed continued Council engagement on this theme. Several said AI advances could help the Council implement its mandate. They encouraged peacekeeping missions to adopt tools that strengthen early warning, promote information integrity, and counter efforts that undermine mandate implementation. One member noted that Council committees have at times been tasked with periodically reviewing developments related to the impacts and threats posed by new technologies, and with exploring measures to address them. This member suggested that such an approach could serve as a model for the Council as a whole. Another stressed respect for state sovereignty, including compliance with local laws and opposition to using AI to interfere in other states’ internal affairs, social systems, or social order.
On 21 October 2024, the Security Council adopted a Swiss-authored presidential statement recognising that science, technology, and innovation have the potential to accelerate the realisation of the aspirations of the UN across all three pillars of its work. The statement also expressed the Council’s commitment to more systematically consider scientific advances, particularly with regard to their impact on international peace and security. (For background information, see our 19 October 2024 What’s in Blue story.) UN discussions on AI in the context of peace and security have taken place primarily within specialised forums such as the Group of Governmental Experts (GGE) on emerging technologies in the area of lethal autonomous weapons systems (LAWS), which was established in 2016 under the auspices of the Convention on Certain Conventional Weapons. The General Assembly has also been increasingly active in addressing AI-related issues. On 24 December 2024, it adopted a resolution, co-drafted by the Netherlands and ROK, titled “AI in the military domain and its implications for international peace and security”. The text affirmed that international law—including the UN Charter, international humanitarian law, and international human rights law—remains fully applicable to the use of AI in military contexts. It underscored the need for responsible and human-centred use of AI in this domain. It also requested the Secretary-General to submit a report to the General Assembly at its 80th session, reflecting the views of member and observer states on the opportunities and challenges AI poses to international peace and security, with particular focus on areas beyond LAWS.
At the Summit of the Future held on 22 September 2024, member states adopted the Pact for the Future along with its annexes: the Global Digital Compact (GDC) and the Declaration on Future Generations. The Pact outlined the vision of member states for the future of multilateralism. In Chapter 2 on international peace and security, Action 27(d) committed member states to continue assessing existing and potential risks associated with the military applications of AI. The GDC also decided to establish a multidisciplinary Independent International Scientific Panel on AI (IISP-AI) and to initiate, within the UN, a Global Dialogue on AI Governance.
The General Assembly adopted a resolution (A/RES/79/325) on 26 August, which set out the terms of reference and modalities for both initiatives. Under the terms of the resolution, the IISP-AI will present an annual report at the Global Dialogue, which will meet annually in the margins of existing relevant UN conferences and meetings, alternating between Geneva and New York. The panel will include 40 members, appointed in their personal capacity for three-year terms, with balanced geographical representation. In a statement issued on 26 August, Secretary-General spokesperson Stéphane Dujarric described the adoption as a major step in global efforts to harness the benefits of AI while managing its risks.
Perspectives on AI have also been shaped by multilateral discussions held outside the UN system. In February 2023, the Netherlands and ROK co-hosted the first Responsible Artificial Intelligence in the Military Domain (REAIM) Summit in The Hague, which resulted in a joint Call to Action. At that summit, the US also launched the Political Declaration on Responsible Military Use of AI and Autonomy, outlining state-level measures for military AI governance. The second REAIM Summit, held in Seoul in September 2024 and co-hosted by Kenya, the Netherlands, the ROK, Singapore, and the UK, resulted in the REAIM Blueprint for Action.
Broader efforts toward AI safety include the Bletchley Declaration from the November 2023 AI Safety Summit held in the UK and the Seoul Declaration, adopted at the AI Seoul Summit in May 2024, both of which promote international collaboration on AI safety. In February 2025, France convened the AI Action Summit, adopting a joint statement on inclusive and sustainable AI and endorsing the Paris Declaration on Maintaining Human Control in AI-enabled Weapon Systems, reinforcing commitments to responsible military AI use, international law, and global cooperation.
Council Dynamics
Although Council members are becoming more aware of the potential impact of AI in areas of peace and security, they have diverging views on the Security Council’s role in addressing AI-related threats to international peace and security. Some members see the need for the Council, as the primary organ for maintaining international peace and security, to stay abreast of technological advancements in order to anticipate and prevent threats to global peace and security. Other members are more cautious about framing the issue narrowly within a security context, advocating for broader discussions in the General Assembly and specialised forums to avoid duplication. Russia, in particular, has expressed concerns about pre-empting outcomes from processes such as the OEWG on the security and use of ICTs and the GGE on LAWS. There is also increasing interest in understanding the importance of leveraging AI technologies to enhance the UN’s work and improve the Council’s decision-making processes, which may become even more relevant in the context of potential reforms under the Secretary-General´s UN80 initiative.
| Security Council Presidential Statements | |
| 21 October 2024S/PRST/2024/6 | This was a Swiss-authored presidential statement on science, technology and innovation. |
| Security Council Meeting Records | |
| 19 December 2024S/PV.9821 | This was a high-level briefing on AI organised by the US. |
| 18 July 2023S/PV.9381 | This is the meeting record on a high-level briefing on “Artificial Intelligence: Opportunities and Risks for International Peace and Security”. |