UN Security Council concerned about impact of advancements on global security

UN News Service/A fragment of the "AI for Good" Summit exhibit

On 21 October 2024, UN Security Council members gathered at the New York headquarters to discuss the issue of global security and the impact of new technologies, according to a UN report.

Neurosurgeon Jocelyn Bloch and neurobiologist Grégoire Curtin presented cutting-edge advancements, which allow individuals with spinal cord injuries who are confined to wheelchairs to stand on their own.

Prof. Bloch, a Swiss neurosurgeon, outlined her team’s development of a “digital bridge” between the brain and the spinal cord – a technology that enables paralyzed patients to walk again by bypassing spinal cord injuries.

This mind-controlled device could also be used for military purposes, raising concerns not only among scientists but also among UN Security Council members.

Professor Grégoire Courtine noted that within the next 10 years, those suffering from severe injuries in traffic accidents, military personnel with wounds, and athletes with injuries will be able to benefit from these developments.

Prof. Courtine, a French neuroscientist, spoke about the broader societal impact of these advancements. However, he cautioned that brain-machine interfaces, like those used in their research, could be exploited for non-therapeutic or military purposes. "We have equipped the brain with a new digital communication channel with enormous potential applications. For example, our patients can control a drone with their thoughts. Therefore, we must anticipate the moment when advances in brain-machine interfaces will allow healthy individuals to use this new form of communication for non-therapeutic or even military purposes," the scientist emphasized.

Robin Geiss, Director of the UN Institute for Disarmament Research (UNIDIR), reminded the attendees that in today's world, innovative technologies experience an unprecedentedly short time span between development and implementation.

"While it took nearly 50 years for the 1880s electric grid to reach 100 million homes, ChatGPT achieved the same milestone in just two months in 2022," he noted.

The UN Security Council members concluded that to protect humanity from the consequences of using artificial intelligence for military purposes, international cooperation in this area is essential. With a successful cooperation framework for innovative technologies, scientists will have the opportunity to assess risks and prevent the most dangerous scenarios.

As reported earlier, employees of AI startup development companies are seeking protection to express concerns about the "serious risks" posed by this product.

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