New UN initiative will aim to tackle the military uses of AI

NEW YORK: The United Nations is launching a new initiative on the military uses of artificial intelligence, aimed at addressing some dire concerns about the threat the rapidly developing technology could pose to humanity. The initiative by the UN Institute for Disarmament Research plans to launch Thursday, establishing the first international forum for key players to try to tackle the issue. Robin Geiss, head of the Geneva-based institute known as UNIDIR, warned at a UN press conference Tuesd

The United Nations is launching a new initiative on the military uses of artificial intelligence, aimed at addressing some dire concerns about the threat the rapidly developing technology could pose to humanity. Institute for Disarmament Research plans to launch Thursday, establishing the first international forum for key players to try to tackle the issue. press conference Tuesday that “the margin for human judgment is increasingly narrow, including in the nuclear domain.” It’s difficult to assess how close the world is to machines possibly acting outside of human control, Geiss said, and that uncertainty “is the issue we’re trying to resolve here.” One problem is that AI is increasingly creeping into so many areas — early warning systems, information gathering and reconnaissance, to name a few — “and it’s quite difficult to say at which point we’re actually really losing control,” he said.

For a long time, he said, there was widespread reluctance to deal with AI guardrails, but the proliferation of its capabilities and the potential impact have led to “a growing realization that we stand at a crossroad — that now is the time to act, including on military AI.” Geiss said the U.N. recognizes that global competition to lead on AI poses serious obstacles. “But concerns about AI’s impact are already transcending geopolitical blocs, and they’re prompting action from major powers,” he said, pointing to a proposal last month for the U.S.

and China to set up an AI safety alert system for issues that could threaten national security. The risks posed by AI were a major topic in speeches by leaders of many of the U.N.’s 193 member nations at their annual high-level meeting last month. UNIDIR this summer established a Center of Excellence on AI, Peace and Security, the first permanent platform by the world body focused on those issues.

Geiss said it received funding from all five major nuclear powers — the U.S., Russia, China, Britain and France. On Thursday, UNIDIR will launch a new forum as part of the center to bring together “actors from every relevant sector and all over the world” to work on AI in military uses. Geiss was vague on exactly what the initiative will do, but he said it will be part of other AI efforts being launched by the center this week.