'Minimise catastrophes': UAE's AI minister highlights dangers of autonomous arms

The UAE's AI Minister, Omar Al Olama, has stressed the need for global consensus on the use of AI in controlling weapon systems. Speaking at the Annual Meeting of Global Future Leaders, Mr Al Olama highlighted the urgent need for countries like the US, Russia, and China to agree on whether AI should be used in deploying autonomous weapons. He expressed concern that there has been no global consensus to stop the use of autonomous systems that can kill people.

Mr Al Olama emphasized the importance of AI companies being accountable for ensuring sufficient guardrails are in place to prevent military misuse of the technology. He also stressed the need to minimise catastrophic events and work together to understand the outcomes of AI development. In July, UK Foreign Secretary Yvette Cooper had warned that AI could become the "greatest security challenge of the next decade" and called for international cooperation to tackle the risks.

Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid, Vice President and Ruler of Dubai, likened AI to nuclear safety efforts post-World War II and urged trust to be the cornerstone of AI use.

The UAE is taking steps to maintain public trust in its AI use, such as implementing a government-wide control tower. However, Mr Al Olama noted that despite participating in high-level discussions like the G20, G7, and UN General Assembly, no conclusive global action has yet been taken on applying guardrails for AI. He called for more action from governments to create a global consensus on AI regulation.

The UAE believes that countries should build their own AI infrastructure to avoid relying on single companies or groups, but also to understand the boundaries of AI use and take responsibility for it.