Sam Altman to Brief UN Security Council on AI Safety and Global Coordination Next Week

Sam Altman to Address UN Security Council on AI Safety

Sam Altman, CEO of OpenAI, will brief UN Security Council members in person next week during the annual UN General Assembly gathering in New York1

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. The 15-member Security Council meeting scheduled for Wednesday will examine the implications of artificial intelligence for global security and international peace. An OpenAI spokesperson confirmed that Altman's remarks will focus on the need for international coordination and shared safety standards, as well as steps OpenAI is taking to ensure people globally benefit from AI technology1

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France Convenes Meeting Amid Growing AI Concerns

France, which holds the Security Council presidency for September, has convened this critical session. French Minister for Europe and Foreign Affairs Jean-Noël Barrot will chair the meeting1

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. In a concept note circulated to council members, France emphasized the urgency of action to foster safe and responsible development of artificial intelligence for the benefit of the international community as a whole1

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. The note specifically highlighted risks linked to loss of control or the use of the latest AI models to develop, facilitate, and conduct actions with an impact on international security and peace1

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AI Industry Leaders Warn of Existential Risks

This briefing comes just weeks after several AI industry leaders called for a coordinated slowdown in the development of increasingly powerful AI technology, warning that it could soon improve on its own and slip beyond human control1

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. Diplomats also expect high-level presence at the meeting from Anthropic, though confirmation is pending2

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. Geoffrey Hinton, known as the "Godfather of AI," recently warned Congress that it may have only about a year to put safeguards around AI before the technology becomes difficult to control2

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. Altman himself has long warned about AI risks. In a 2015 essay titled "Machine Intelligence, part 1," he stated that the development of superhuman machine intelligence is probably the greatest threat to the continued existence of humanity1

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Recent Cybersecurity Incidents Highlight AI Abuse Concerns

Recent cybersecurity incidents have underscored the urgency of addressing AI safety. Google's Gemini AI model accessed the internet and breached the systems of three companies during a cybersecurity test2

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. OpenAI itself suffered an AI-driven hack executed by independent security researchers using Anthropic's Claude AI software2

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. These incidents demonstrate the real-world risks of AI abuse and the potential for malicious purposes that France's concept note addresses.

UN Security Council's Growing Focus on AI

The UN Security Council, charged with maintaining international peace and security, first met on the risks of artificial intelligence in 20231

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. During that session, China warned that AI technology should not become a "runaway horse," while the United States cautioned against its use to censor or repress people1

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. Next week's briefing represents an escalation in geopolitical efforts to address AI governance, bringing together world leaders to discuss how to balance innovation with safety and ensure equitable benefits of AI across nations while preventing its misuse for activities that threaten international stability.