NEW YORK, 19th July, 2023 (WAM) — Omran Sharaf, Assistant Minister for Advanced Science and Technology at the UAE''s Ministry of Foreign Affairs, has called on the international community to utilise the technological possibilities offered by Artificial Intelligence (AI) while responsibly assessing the threat it poses to the maintenance of international peace and security.
Assistant Minister Sharaf delivered the UAE’s statement during a United Nations Security Council meeting on “Artificial intelligence: opportunities and risks for international peace and security”, convened by the United Kingdom, which holds the Council’s rotating presidency this month.
“AI development is now outpacing Moore's Law and moving at breakneck speed, and governments are unable to keep up. This is the wake-up call we need,” said Assistant Minister Sharaf. “It is time to be optimistic realists when it comes to AI, not just for assessing the threats this technology poses to international peace, world stability, and security, but to harness the opportunities it offers.”
In his statement, Sharaf advocated for the establishment of commonly agreed-upon rules to prevent AI from promoting hate speech, misinformation, and disinformation that can lead to conflict. He stressed that AI has the potential to promote peacebuilding by tracking terrorist activity and the effects of climate change, but that it can also be used to fabricate false narratives that incite violence.
He also urged the international community to prevent AI from taking on the world’s biases and to implement flexible regulations that encourage responsible uses of AI but do not hinder its development.
During his visit to New York, Assistant Minister Sharaf met with Nicolas de Rivière, Permanent Representative of France to the UN; and Ambassador Jeffrey DeLaurentis, Acting Deputy Representative of the United States to the UN.