As artificial intelligence (AI) advances without meaningful oversight, Pakistan’s call at the United Nations reflects the broader concerns of developing nations that powerful states will shape the rules to their advantage.
Earlier this year, the UN General Assembly adopted a resolution pushing for inclusive and equitable AI governance that bridges the digital divide. Countries in the Global South, from Indonesia to Brazil, have also cautioned that unchecked deployment of this technology risks deepening inequalities.
Speaking at a high-level debate on AI during the 80th UNGA session, Pakistan’s Defense Minister, Khawaja Muhammad Asif, highlighted AI’s potential for misuse. He called for the UN Charter and international law to “fully govern the development and use of AI applications.”
The state-run Associated Press of Pakistan (APP) quoted him as saying, “AI must not become a tool of coercion, or technological monopoly.”
APP reported that South Korea’s President Lee Jae Myung chaired the meeting, as his country holds the 15-member council’s presidency for September.
Warning against AI’s military applications, the minister stressed that while AI may be the “most consequential, dual-use technology,” it also has the potential to deepen “inequalities, and destabilizing international order.”
“Applications, without meaningful human control, should be prohibited,” he added while addressing the 15-member council.
Noting the dangers of unregulated AI, Asif pointed out that “unregulated and irresponsible use of AI enables disinformation campaigns, offensive cyber operations, and development of new types of armaments.”
“The accelerating weaponization of AI, through autonomous weapon systems, and AI-driven command and control systems, poses a grave danger.”
He urged states to “commit to measures that prevent destabilizing use, and pre-emptive incentives.”
Referring to the four-day military standoff between India and Pakistan in May, Asif noted that during the conflict, “autonomous munitions and high-speed dual-capable cruise missiles were used by one nuclear-armed state against another during a military exchange.” He cautioned that the instance demonstrates the “dangers that AI can pose.”
Warning against the changing nature of warfare, he said, “AI lowers the threshold for use of force, making wars more politically and operationally feasible.”
The minister cautioned that AI “compresses decision-time, narrowing the window for diplomacy and de-escalation.” He added that AI also “blurs domain boundaries, merging cyber, kinetic, and informational effects in unpredictable ways.”
He called for AI to be used to promote “peace and development” rather than “conflict and instability.”
“Let us preserve the primacy of human judgment, in matters of war and peace, ensuring that, even in an age of intelligent machines, innovation is guided by principles of morality and humanity,” Asif said.
UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, who opened the debate, highlighted the many uses of AI, such as for food insecurity, de-mining, and violence outbreaks. However, he cautioned that, “Without guardrails, it can also be weaponized.”
AI is “no longer a distant horizon—it is here, transforming daily life, the information space and the global economy at breathtaking speed,” he said. Still, “innovation must serve humanity—not undermine it.”
Recalling the establishment of the UN’s Independent International Scientific Panel on AI and a Global Dialogue on AI Governance, Guterres remarked, “humanity’s fate cannot be left to an algorithm” as “humans must always retain authority over life-and-death decisions.”
On that note, he called on the council and member states to “ensure that human control and judgment are preserved in every use of force,” APP quoted him as saying.
APP further reported that Guterres called for “a ban on lethal autonomous weapons systems operating without human control, with a legally binding instrument by 2026.”
“Similarly, any decision in nuclear weapon use must rest with humans—not machines,” APP quoted the UN Secretary-General as saying.
“From nuclear arms control to aviation safety, the international community has risen to the challenge of technologies that could destabilize our societies—by agreeing to rules, building institutions, and insisting on human dignity,” he said.
“The window is closing to shape AI—for peace, for justice, for humanity. We must act without delay.”
Addressing the council, Yejin Choi, a senior fellow at Stanford University’s Institute for Human-Centered Artificial Intelligence, pointed out that “current progress in AI is too concentrated among a handful of companies and countries.”
“When only a few have the resources to build and benefit from AI, we leave the rest of the world waiting at the door,” she said.
“Let us expand what intelligence can be—and let everyone everywhere have a role in building it.”
“Ms. Choi urged governments and international institutions to invest in alternative approaches beyond scaling ever-larger models, arguing that smaller, more adaptive systems could lower barriers to entry,” APP reported.
“She also pressed for stronger representation of linguistic and cultural diversity, noting that today’s leading AI models underperform for many non-English languages and reflect narrow cultural assumptions.”
This development came a day after Google announced the rollout of its “Google AI Plus plan” in 40 more countries, including Pakistan.
“Pakistan’s digital landscape is vibrant and growing, and we’ve been inspired by the creativity Pakistanis have shown in adopting AI tools,” said Farhan Qureshi, the Country Director of Google Pakistan, in a statement.
In July, the federal cabinet approved the National AI Policy 2025.
The policy outlined a plan to train a million AI professionals by 2030, establish an AI Innovation Fund and AI Venture Fund to boost private sector involvement, and create 50,000 AI-driven civic projects and 1,000 local AI products in the next five years.
“Our youth are Pakistan’s greatest asset. Providing them with education, skills, and equal opportunities in AI is a top priority,” PM Shehbaz said while chairing the July meeting.
