Artificial intelligence holds vast potential but poses grave risks if left unregulated, UN Secretary-General António Guterres told the Security Council on Wednesday.

“AI is no longer a distant horizon – it is here, transforming daily life, the information space, and the global economy at breathtaking speed,” Guterres said at the Council’s high-level debate on the technology’s security implications for transforming warfare.

“The question is not whether AI will influence international peace and security, but how we will shape that influence.”

Used responsibly, the UN chief said, AI can help anticipate food insecurity, support de-mining operations, and identify outbreaks of violence before it spills out of control.

“But without guardrails, it can also be weaponised,” he cautioned, pointing to AI-enabled targeting in recent conflicts, cyberattacks on critical infrastructure, and deepfakes capable of fuelling polarisation or derailing diplomacy.

Guterres set out four priorities for governments: maintaining human control over the use of force, building coherent global regulatory frameworks, protecting information integrity, and closing what he called the “AI capacity gap between rich and poor nations".

The Secretary-General highlighted steps already underway, including the creation of an independent scientific panel on AI and a new global dialogue on AI governance – due to take place in New York on Thursday.

“Together, these initiatives aim to connect science, policy and practice; provide every country a seat at the table; and reduce fragmentation,” he said.