How the United Nations Can Address Growing AI Concerns to Peace and Security

Sep 21, 2026 | Ana Lejava (Georgetown Institute for Women, Peace and Security)
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As world leaders convene in New York this week for the UN General Assembly’s high-level session, and as AI industry leaders prepare to brief the Security Council on the state of artificial intelligence, the UN Security Council should use this momentum to make better use of the tools the UN system has already built and member states have already endorsed. The existing UN governance ecosystem, including foundational agencies and accords such as the International Telecommunication Union (ITU), the UNESCO Recommendation on the Ethics of AI, and the Global Digital Compact, together with the Global Dialogue on AI Governance and the Independent International Scientific Panel on AI that informs it, can evolve from the voluntary ethical guidance to a stronger ethical and regulatory framework with binding force.