NEW WORK: Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar has called for international cooperation to ensure artificial intelligence (AI) does not become another facet of the ongoing arms race, stressing the need to retain human judgement and control over AI development and integration.
Addressing a UN Security Council briefing on artificial intelligence and international security on Thursday, Dar said AI was increasingly transforming all areas of life, with deep impacts on societies, economies and security.
The DPM said AI’s impact was particularly evident in international and regional peace and stability, describing it as a force multiplier and cross-cutting dual-use technology that was defining a new chapter of modern warfare.
He said the foremost priority was to retain human judgement and control at all stages of AI design, development and integration. Humans, he stressed, must remain in control of defining the structures of AI systems and limiting the speed and nature of their future capabilities.
Dar called for efforts to ensure that AI did not become another facet of the ongoing arms race, saying guardrails, regulations and governance frameworks were required. In the military domain, he said measures of restraint and confidence-building were needed to address risks of miscalculation and compressed decision-making.
The foreign minister also said AI should not become a monopoly of a few actors, stressing that international collaboration was crucial to ensure its development was representative, comprehensive, transparent and inclusive.
Dar highlighted misinformation, fake news and cyber-attacks, including attacks on critical infrastructure by state and non-state actors, as challenges being intensified by AI.
He said concrete action was needed to address gaps and challenges carrying significant implications for peace and security.
The DPM also cautioned that efforts to pace the AI frontier should not become a new form of gatekeeping.
He said if the pace of the frontier was set by a few while others were held back through restrictions, existing asymmetries and divides would worsen and a safety agenda could turn into a strategy of technological exclusion.
“The risks of uncontrolled AI would be borne by all; decisions on how to manage them cannot rest with a handful of companies or capitals,” Dar said.
He stressed the need to avoid fragmentation in AI development and governance, saying issues concerning the development and deployment of AI, as well as its broader implications, should be addressed comprehensively through open, representative and inclusive forums with universal participation under UN auspices.
Dar welcomed the convening of the first UN Global Dialogue on AI Governance in Geneva this year.
He said Pakistan supported collaborative efforts in the international arena to reap the benefits of AI and address its challenges cooperatively.
In this regard, he highlighted Pakistan’s participation as a founding member of China’s initiative to establish the World Artificial Intelligence Cooperation Organisation (WAICO).
Dar said the initiative represented a concrete step towards promoting the development of artificial intelligence “for good, and for all”.
He further stressed the importance of confidence-building measures in maintaining international and regional peace and security, saying practical tools were necessary to reduce mistrust, prevent accidental escalation and manage risks related to military and foundational AI systems.
Dar reaffirmed Pakistan’s commitment to advancing international cooperation in AI and said the country looked forward to working closely with member states to help bridge the global AI divide and promote equitable access to advance peace and development for all. –Agencies
