The UNSC (United Nations Security Council) will hold its very first meeting on artificial intelligence technologies today. – Photo: AP/Kathy Wilens

The UN Security Council is scheduled to hold its first-ever meeting on artificial intelligence (AI) today.

The meeting will focus on AI’s implications to international peace and security. It will be chaired by U.K. Foreign Affairs Secretary James Cleverly, as part of his country’s current Council Presidency.

The Security Council’s meeting comes amidst increasing international attention on AI’s chances and risks in both economic and security terms. In February, the Netherlands and South Korea jointly hosted the first summit on the responsible use of AI in the military domain—dubbed REAIM 2023. In June, UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres warned of the existential threat AI poses to humanity. Guterres will be present today.

The Security Council is unlikely to reach any conclusion on the matter today, as there remain differing views regarding ethical limits to the use of AI. Still, this will likely be the first of many such meetings in the years ahead. Governments and advocacy groups increasingly call for the need to regulate AI, with the EU’s AI Act being the first comprehensive legislation. However, there are currently no internationally-binding limitations on the use of AI in security and defense, which is unlikely to change in the foreseeable future.