In late September 2025, the United Nations Security Council (UNSC) formally placed artificial intelligence (AI) on its agenda for matters of international peace and security. Member states agreed to begin discussions on a framework to address risks such as AI-enabled cyberattacks, algorithmic disinformation in conflict zones, and the destabilizing potential of autonomous weapons (UN News, 2025). This milestone reflects a growing recognition that AI has moved from being mainly an economic and technological issue to one that directly affects global stability.

For much of the past decade, conversations about AI safety and governance were driven by academic researchers, technical standards bodies, and national regulators. By elevating AI to the Security Council’s agenda, the UN signaled that the technology’s risks now sit alongside nuclear proliferation and climate-related security threats. This move underscores that AI governance is no longer solely about corporate compliance or individual rights but about collective security and the architecture of peace.

This shift has implications for societies and enterprises alike. It demonstrates that the power of AI extends beyond productivity gains or service delivery. The same tools that can accelerate scientific discovery or optimize supply chains can also be exploited to spread targeted disinformation during elections or identify civilian targets in conflict. As a result, international governance efforts are moving from voluntary ethics statements to coordinated measures for monitoring, reporting, and—in certain cases—restricting high-risk applications.

The UNSC’s engagement also emphasizes the urgency of building trustworthy AI infrastructure. Nations will increasingly be expected to demonstrate the capacity to detect, attribute, and respond to malicious AI activity. For companies that operate across borders, this evolution suggests that regulatory expectations may begin to converge around baseline requirements for continuous monitoring, auditable evidence, and transparent incident reporting. Elevating AI to the global security agenda makes it clear that governance is no longer merely a competitive advantage but a prerequisite for maintaining market access and trusted international partnerships.

For citizens, the Council’s move represents a step toward collective safeguards. It acknowledges that risks such as algorithmic manipulation of information or the weaponization of commercial AI systems cannot be addressed by any single country or firm. Coordinated international responses—although challenging to negotiate—are increasingly recognized as essential to ensure that advances in AI do not erode global peace and stability.

As negotiations progress at the UN, enterprises that already maintain robust, auditable records of system design, training data, risk assessments, and incident response processes will be better prepared to comply with future multilateral obligations. Those that continue to treat governance as an afterthought will find it increasingly difficult to demonstrate that their technologies are not contributing to emerging security threats.

References

OECD. (2023). Framework for the classification of AI systems. OECD Publishing. https://oecd.ai

PwC. (2024). Responsible AI survey: How US companies are managing risk in an era of generative AI. https://www.pwc.com/us/en/tech-effect/ai-analytics/responsible-ai-survey.html

UN News. (2025). UN Security Council places AI risks on peace and security agenda. Retrieved September 23, 2025, from https://news.un.org/en/story/2025/09/unsc-ai-global-security