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

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 U.N. 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 U.N. 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. Another will focus on the role of industry and aims to develop “a framework for responsible industry behavior,” he said.

Decisions by companies on design and development “determine whether AI-enabled military capabilities are ultimately reliable, predictable and whether they can operate in line with international law,” Geiss said.

For that reason, he said, UNIDIR is developing a framework of responsible industry behavior that will “provide practical, voluntary guidelines” that follow international law and ensure human rights.

The U.N. agency will hold consultations this week with defense technology companies, software developers, subcontractors, investors and others that will work alongside governments, civil society, academia and experts, Geiss said.

UNIDIR also is launching an initiative focused on the risks of AI misuse by armed groups, he said, warning that such actors are already using the technology to support operational planning, execution and logistics.

“The urgent issue of AI in the military domain will certainly no longer be allowed to linger in the shadows,” Geiss said. “The time has come to pull our strengths and confront AI in the military head-on.”