UNITED NATIONS, Sept. 25 (Xinhua) -- UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres on Tuesday asked world leaders to keep the perils of new technologies at bay while upholding their promise.
With new technologies, there is great promise, but also risks and serious dangers, he told the leaders attending this year's high-level General Debate of the General Assembly.
"The impacts of new technologies on warfare are a direct threat to our common responsibility to guarantee peace and security," said Guterres.
The weaponization of artificial intelligence is a growing concern. The prospect of weapons that can select and attack a target on their own raises multiple alarms, and could trigger new arms races, he warned. "Let's call it as it is. The prospect of machines with the discretion and power to take human life is morally repugnant."
"Heaven forbid, any new war could very well include a massive cyber-attack not only targeting military capacities, but also critical civilian infrastructure," he said.
At the same time, technology is being misused by terrorists and for sexual exploitation and abuse, he noted.
Technological advances may disrupt labor markets, bringing about socio-economic impacts, as traditional jobs change or disappear, even as the number of young job-seekers continues to grow, he observed.
With technology outracing institutions, cooperation between countries and among stakeholders will be crucial, including UN member states, the private sector, research centers, civil society and academia, said the UN chief.
More work on these issues, aimed at building trust between and within nations, will be needed to ensure the responsible use of new technologies, he said. "I urge you to use the United Nations as a platform to draw global attention to these crucial matters and to nurture a digital future that is safe and beneficial for all."
