UNITED NATIONS July 19 (Online): The United Nations Security Council held its first meeting on artificial intelligence on Tuesday where China said the technology should not become a \u201crunaway horse\u201d and the United States warned against its use to censor or repress people.<\/p>\n
Britain\u2019s Foreign Secretary James Cleverly, who chaired the meeting under Britain\u2019s July presidency of the body, said AI will \u201cfundamentally alter every aspect of human life.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWe urgently need to shape the global governance of transformative technologies because AI knows no borders,\u201d he added after saying that AI could help address climate change and boost economies. But he also warned that the technology fuels disinformation and could aid both state and non-state actors in a quest for weapons.<\/p>\n
The 15-member council was briefed by UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, Jack Clark, co-founder of high-profile AI startup Anthropic, and Professor Zeng Yi, co-director of the China-UK Research Center for AI Ethics and Governance.<\/p>\n
\u201cBoth military and non-military applications of AI could have very serious consequences for global peace and security,\u201d Guterres said.<\/p>\n
Guterres backs calls by some states for the creation of a new UN body \u201cto support collective efforts to govern this extraordinary technology,\u201d modeled on the International Atomic Energy Agency, the International Civil <\/p>\n
Aviation Organization, or the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change.
\nChina\u2019s UN Ambassador Zhang Jun described AI as a \u201cdouble-edged sword\u201d and said Beijing supports a central coordinating role of the UN on establishing guiding principles for AI.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhether it is good or bad, good or evil, depends on how mankind utilizes it, regulates it and how we balance scientific development with security,\u201d Zhang said, adding that there should be a focus on people and AI for good to regulate development and to \u201cprevent this technology from becoming a runaway horse.\u201d<\/p>\n
Deputy US Ambassador to the UN, Jeffrey DeLaurentis, also said there was a need for countries to also work together on AI and other emerging technologies to address human rights risks that threaten to undermine peace and security.<\/p>\n
\u201cNo member states should use AI to censor, constrain, repress or disempower people,\u201d he told the council.<\/p>\n
Russia questioned whether the council, which is charged with maintaining international peace and security, should be discussing AI.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat is necessary is a professional, scientific, expertise-based discussion that can take several years and this discussion is already underway at specialized platforms,\u201d said Russia\u2019s Deputy UN Ambassador Dmitry Polyanskiy.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
UNITED NATIONS July 19 (Online): The United Nations Security Council held its first meeting on artificial intelligence on Tuesday where China said the technology should not become a \u201crunaway horse\u201d and the United States warned against its use to censor or repress people. Britain\u2019s Foreign […]<\/p>\n
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