By Attia Naveed
Copyright dailytimes
Published on: September 25, 2025 3:25 PM
Pakistan has warned the United Nations that artificial intelligence (AI), if left unregulated, could be weaponised and destabilise global peace. Speaking at a high-level UN Security Council debate, Defence Minister Khawaja Muhammad Asif stressed the urgent need for international rules. He said AI must be governed by the UN Charter and international law to prevent its misuse in war and coercion. “Applications without human control should be banned,” he stated firmly.
Asif called AI the most powerful dual-use technology of our time. He said it can drive economic progress but also worsen global inequality. He warned that autonomous weapons and AI-controlled military systems make wars more likely and diplomacy harder. “In our region, AI-powered missiles and autonomous weapons were used by a nuclear-armed state in conflict,” he revealed, referencing recent India-Pakistan tensions. Such actions, he said, show the real danger of AI on the battlefield.
Read more: AI Threatens Future Warfare
He urged countries to act now to stop the spread of AI-powered arms. Asif warned that AI lowers the threshold for war by speeding up military decisions and confusing battle lines. He said AI merges cyber, kinetic, and information warfare in ways humans can’t always predict. “AI must not become a tool of monopoly or manipulation,” he added. He called on the world to protect human control in all matters of war and peace.
We must ensure that AI is harnessed, to promote peace and development, not conflict and instability. Let us work together, to shape an AI architecture that is inclusive, equitable and effective. Let us preserve the primacy of human judgment, in matters of war and peace, ensuring… pic.twitter.com/Et7Gkl3rJ7
— Permanent Mission of Pakistan to the UN (@PakistanUN_NY) September 24, 2025
UN Secretary-General António Guterres also spoke at the session, warning that AI is moving faster than global regulation. He said AI already affects daily life, from spreading disinformation to launching cyberattacks in minutes. Guterres called for a legal ban on autonomous weapons that operate without human input. He stressed that decisions on life and death, especially nuclear weapons, must remain in human hands — not machines.
Yejin Choi from Stanford University added that AI progress is dominated by a few rich countries and companies. She urged the UN to support more open, diverse, and accessible AI development. Choi highlighted the risks of cultural bias in today’s AI systems and called for better inclusion of non-English languages. Guterres closed the session by warning: “The window to act is closing fast. We must shape AI for peace, justice, and humanity — before it shapes us.”
