UN Secretary-General António Guterres called for urgent AI regulation,warning that artificial intelligence holds vast potential but poses serious risks if left unregulated. He made the remarks during the UN Security Council’s high-level debate on AI’s security implications.

Guterres stated that AI is no longer a distant concept but is already transforming daily life, the information space, and the global economy at unprecedented speed.

He stressed that the question is not whether AI will affect international peace and security but how the world will shape its influence.

The UN chief revealed that AI, when used responsibly, can:
• Predict food insecurity and support de-mining operations
• Identify outbreaks of violence before they escalate

However, he cautioned that without guardrails, AI can be weaponised. He pointed to AI-enabled targeting in recent conflicts, cyberattacks on critical infrastructure, and deepfakes that could fuel polarization or derail diplomacy.

Guterres outlined four priorities for governments: maintain human control over the use of force, build global regulatory frameworks, protect information integrity, and close the AI capacity gap between rich and poor nations.

He also reported that the UN is taking action, including forming an independent scientific panel on AI and launching a global dialogue on AI governance in New York on Thursday. These initiatives aim to connect science, policy, and practice, give every country a seat at the table, and reduce fragmentation.

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