UN hosts meeting on artificial intelligence threats

The meeting, organised by the United Kingdom, aims to explore the endless possibilities of IA, while also acknowledging significant risks, such as the possible use of this technology in autonomous weapons or nuclear control.

UK Ambassador Barbara Woodward, during the British presidency of the Council this month, scheduled the meeting on July 18th.

Presentations by international IA experts and UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres are expected to be presented at this meeting, which recently raised concerns about the alarming impact of the advanced IA, stressing particularly concerns expressed by its creators.

These scientists and experts have urged the world to act, declaring it The IA as a existential threat to humanity at the same level as the risk of nuclear war”, the UN chief said.

Guterres announced plans to appoint an advisory board for artificial intelligence in September to prepare initiatives the UN could undertake.

Woodward on the other hand said the United Kingdom wants to encourage a multilateral approach to manage both the major possibilities and the risks artificial intelligence has for all of us”, stressing that “this will require a global” effort.

She stressed that the side of the benefits is great, citing the IA's potential to help UN development programmes, improve humanitarian aid operations, help peacekeeping operations and support conflict prevention, including collection and analysis of data.

This could potentially help us to close the gap between developing countries and developed countries”, she added.

In May, the head of the artificial intelligence company that produces ChatGPT said at a hearing in the American Senate that government intervention would be critical for easing the risks of the increasingly powerful IA systems, saying that as this technology advances people are concerned about how it can change their lives.

“We are also concerned”, he had said. / REL