UNGA: Industry Leaders Set to Brief UN Council as AI Risks, Iran War Take Center Stage Today

Industry leaders are set to brief the United Nations Security Council on Wednesday as concerns over artificial intelligence and the continuing war involving Iran take centre stage during the 81st UN General Assembly.

The Security Council will hold a high-level briefing on artificial intelligence and international security, with OpenAI chief executive Sam Altman, Anthropic CEO Dario Amodei and Hugging Face CEO Clément Delangue among the expected speakers.

Yoshua Bengio, co-chair of the UN’s Independent International Scientific Panel on AI, is also expected to participate.

The meeting, convened by France, will examine the security implications of rapidly advancing AI systems, including concerns about autonomous systems, critical infrastructure attacks and the potential loss of human control.

The discussion follows growing calls from technology leaders and experts for stronger international coordination and safeguards around increasingly capable AI systems.

The UN has also intensified its focus on AI governance, with Secretary-General António Guterres warning world leaders that artificial intelligence represents one of four major tests facing humanity, alongside war and peace, inequality and climate change.

Meanwhile, the continuing conflict involving the United States, Israel and Iran is expected to dominate diplomatic discussions in New York.

Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian is scheduled to address the General Assembly, his first appearance before the world body since the outbreak of the conflict.

The war has affected energy markets and global trade, particularly because of disruptions surrounding the Strait of Hormuz, a major route for international oil shipments.

Iranian officials have maintained that Tehran will defend its interests, while the United States has continued to press for an agreement to end the conflict.

The General Assembly will also hear from Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, while the war in Ukraine remains high on the Security Council’s agenda.

A Security Council meeting on Ukraine is scheduled for Wednesday as diplomatic efforts continue over the conflict.

The convergence of AI risks, armed conflicts and economic disruption has placed renewed attention on the ability of international institutions to respond collectively to emerging global challenges.

Wednesday’s discussions are expected to provide an opportunity for governments, technology leaders and international organisations to consider possible mechanisms for managing AI-related security risks while addressing ongoing conflicts and their wider consequences.