At the UN, Leaders Split Over AI: 'Killer Robots' vs 'Super Intelligence'
UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres calls for AI oversight while Donald Trump opposes global controls, as the Security Council debates the technology's risks.
World leaders gathered at the United Nations this week offered sharply contrasting visions for the future of artificial intelligence, with UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres warning of the dangers posed by autonomous systems and US President Donald Trump rejecting international controls on the technology.
Speaking at Tuesday's General Assembly, Guterres called for greater oversight of AI and stressed that decisions involving life and death should not be delegated to machines. His remarks reflected a growing concern among scientists and experts that mechanical automation powered by AI could turn deadly. Recent reports of Russian drones with AI capabilities killing Ukrainian civilians have added urgency to those fears.
The UN Security Council has taken up the issue of AI controls, with major figures from the AI and technology industries participating in the discussions. The talks are exploring what can or should be done to regulate artificial intelligence and who should hold authority over its development and deployment.
Trump, by contrast, has said he does not want international groups exercising control over AI, referring to the technology as "super intelligence." His position reflects a broader reluctance by both the United States and China — the two leading powers in AI development — to accept binding international rules. Trump has claimed the US is winning the AI race, a view some observers share, though China is widely seen as closing the gap.
Other countries have pushed back, arguing that some form of oversight is necessary. They point to incidents such as an AI system hacking into another website, Hugging Face, earlier this summer as evidence of the risks involved.
Beyond security concerns, AI's environmental footprint has drawn attention. The technology consumes vast amounts of energy, produces carbon emissions that contribute to global warming, and uses significant quantities of water. Yet some scientists and former Vice President Al Gore have suggested that AI could ultimately help the fight against climate change by improving energy efficiency.
At the UN this week, however, the central question was not whether AI can be green, but whether it can be deadly.