ISLAMABAD: Pakistan said on Wednesday unregulated artificial intelligence (AI), particularly in military applications, posed grave risks and must be fully governed by the United Nations Charter and international law, according to a state media report.
Defense Minister Khawaja Muhammad Asif told a Security Council debate on AI that applications without “meaningful human control” should be prohibited.
He maintained that AI had the potential to accelerate socio-economic progress but could also deepen inequalities and destabilize the international order.
Asif particularly cited the use of autonomous munitions and high-speed cruise missiles in a recent military exchange between India and Pakistan as an example of the dangers.
“AI must not become a tool of coercion or technological monopoly,” he said, according to the Associated Press of Pakistan (APP) news agency, adding that it “lowers the threshold for use of force, making wars more politically and operationally feasible.”
The defense minister urged states to commit to measures that prevent the destabilizing use of AI, stressing that human judgment must remain central in matters of war and peace.
“We must ensure that AI is harnessed to promote peace and development, not conflict and instability,” he added.
Earlier, UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said while opening the debate that AI was already transforming daily life and the global economy “at breathtaking speed.”
While it can be used responsibly for prevention and protection, “without guardrails, it can also be weaponized,” he cautioned, renewing calls for a ban on lethal autonomous weapons without human control by 2026 while pointing out the “window is closing” for timely decisions.
The meeting, chaired by South Korean President Lee Jae Myung, was held on the margins of the 80th UN General Assembly Session.
It also featured global leaders, academics and experts who urged stronger international governance, broader access to AI development and safeguards to preserve human authority over life-and-death decisions.
