UAE's AI Minister Urges Global Action to Prevent Catastrophic Misuse of Autonomous Weapons

Omar Al Olama, the UAE's Minister of State for AI, Digital Economy and Remote Work Applications, has emphasized the critical need for a worldwide consensus on the use of artificial intelligence in controlling weapon systems. He highlighted the urgent requirement for major powers like the United States, Russia, and China to establish an agreement on whether AI should be employed in the deployment of autonomous weapons.

"If you're going to talk about AI deploying a rocket or a bomb or sending a fighter jet to destroy a school or do certain things, we haven't been able to come to a global consensus to stop that," Al Olama stated. He further elaborated that autonomous systems used in the military for lethal purposes are a specific area of AI that demands global regulation and agreement.

Speaking at the Annual Meeting of Global Future Leaders, hosted by the World Economic Forum (WEF) and the government of Dubai, Al Olama stressed the importance of AI companies taking responsibility for implementing adequate safeguards against the military misuse of AI. "It's important for us to put the right systems, to invest in understanding what could possibly go wrong," he advised. "We won't get everything right, but we need to make sure that we minimise the catastrophic events and we try to work with each other to ensure that we know exactly what's going to come out of this."

His remarks echo concerns previously raised by former UK foreign secretary Yvette Cooper, who in July described AI as a potential "greatest security challenge of the next decade" and called for international cooperation. UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres also backed this call.

Al Olama also touched upon the significance of trust in AI, drawing parallels with sentiments expressed in a book by Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid, Vice President and Ruler of Dubai. He described trust as the "backbone and true currency of the UAE" and argued it should be the same for AI. "The challenge that we have is it's going to be extremely easy for us to lose trust, but very hard for us to gain it back when it comes to agentic systems," he explained. "If the government takes one wrong decision, you lose a lot of that currency – you lose a lot of that trust. Once we have one breakthrough event where AI exits the sandbox and goes and harms people, I think it's going to take a long time for us to regain that trust." The UAE is actively working to maintain public trust through initiatives like a government-wide control tower that provides oversight of agentic AI used in government bodies.

Despite participation in high-level discussions at forums like the G20, G7, and the UN General Assembly, Al Olama noted that conversations about AI have yet to yield conclusive global action on establishing guardrails. "We haven't invested enough, as governments collectively, to create a global system of consensus that ensures that we all agree to put guardrails. There needs to be action." He also observed a trend of countries developing their own AI infrastructure for self-reliance, which while potentially increasing understanding and responsibility, could also lead to more risks if not managed carefully.