STORY: UN chief warns of risks of artificial intelligence
DATELINE: July 19, 2023
LENGTH: 00:03:14
LOCATION: UN headquarters
CATEGORY: TECHNOLOGY
 
SHOTLIST:
1. various of Security Council Chamber
2. SOUNDBITE 1 (English): ANTONIO GUTERRES, UN Secretary-General
3. various of delegates
4. SOUNDBITE 2 (English): ANTONIO GUTERRES, UN Secretary-General
5. various of delegates
6. SOUNDBITE 3 (English): ANTONIO GUTERRES, UN Secretary-General
 
STORYLINE:
 
UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres on Tuesday warned of the risks of artificial intelligence (AI) and called for a race to develop AI for good purposes.
 
Guterres made the remarks at the Security Council in its first-ever debate on AI. 
SOUNDBITE 1 (English): ANTONIO GUTERRES, UN Secretary-General
"AI is being put to work in connection with peace and security, including by the United Nations. It is increasingly being used to identify patterns of violence, monitor cease-fires and more, helping to strengthen peacekeeping, mediation and humanitarian efforts. But AI tools can also be used by those with malicious intent. AI models can help people to harm themselves and each other, at a massive scale. Let's be clear: The malicious use of AI systems for terrorist, criminal or state purposes could cause horrific levels of death and destruction, widespread trauma, and deep psychological damage on an unimaginable scale. AI-enabled cyberattacks are already targeting critical infrastructure and UN peacekeeping and humanitarian operations, causing great human suffering. The technical and financial barriers to access are low, including for criminals and terrorists. Both military and non-military applications of AI could have very serious consequences for global peace and security."
 
The advent of generative AI could be a defining moment for disinformation and hate speech, undermining truth, facts, and safety; adding a new dimension to the manipulation of human behavior; and contributing to polarization and instability on a vast scale. Deepfakes are just one new AI-enabled tool that, if unchecked, could have serious implications for peace and stability. And the unforeseen consequences of some AI-enabled systems could create security risks by accident, he warned.
 
Malfunctioning AI systems are another huge area of concern. And the interaction between AI and nuclear weapons, biotechnology, neurotechnology, and robotics is deeply alarming, he said.
 
SOUNDBITE 2 (English): ANTONIO GUTERRES, UN Secretary-General"Generative AI has enormous potential for good and evil at scale. Its creators themselves have warned that much bigger, potentially catastrophic and existential risks lie ahead. Without action to address these risks, we are derelict in our responsibilities to present and future generations."
 
Guterres urged the Security Council to exercise leadership on AI and show the way toward common measures for the transparency, accountability, and oversight of AI systems.
 
SOUNDBITE 3 (English): ANTONIO GUTERRES, UN Secretary-General"We must work together for AI that bridges social, digital, and economic divides, not one that pushes us further apart. I urge you to join forces and build trust for peace and security. We need a race to develop AI for good, to develop AI that is reliable and safe and that can end poverty, banish hunger, cure cancer, and supercharge climate action; AI that propels us toward the Sustainable Development Goals. That is the race we need, and that is a race that is possible and achievable."
 
Xinhua News Agency correspondents reporting from UN headquarters.
(XHTV)