Malicious use of AI could cause ‘unimaginable’ damage, says UN boss

Antonio Guterres calls for new UN body along the lines of IPCC to tackle threats posed by artificial intelligence

Malicious use of artificial intelligence systems could cause a horrific" amount of death and destruction, the UN secretary general has said, calling for a new UN body to tackle the threats posed by the technology.

Antonio Guterres said harmful use of AI for terrorist, criminal or state purposes could also cause deep psychological damage", and he said AI-enabled cyber-attacks were already targeting UN peacekeeping and humanitarian operations.