AI Leaders Urge Caution Over Rapid Development at UN

Leaders of major artificial intelligence companies told the UN Security Council on that increasingly capable AI systems require stronger safeguards and international cooperation, with OpenAI CEO Sam Altman calling for "extreme care" as the technology develops, Beiyi Seow reported for Agence France-Presse (AFP).

OpenAI CEO Sam Altman recently addressed the UN Security Council during a briefing on artificial intelligence and international security in New York. [Photo: Oracle Facebook]

Altman warned that AI systems could become capable of acting faster than institutions can respond and that technological power could become concentrated in too few hands.

He urged governments to cooperate with one another and with the technology industry in shaping rules for AI.

"We believe this must be one of those times," Altman said, referring to periods when competing countries have nevertheless worked together on challenges affecting their shared interests.

Anthropic CEO Dario Amodei, who also addressed the council, said that increasingly powerful AI models would require more stringent safety standards.

The two executives were among technology leaders participating in a Security Council session devoted to artificial intelligence and international security. The UN Security Council held the session on Sept. 23 under the agenda item "Maintenance of international peace and security."