People on AI
← Back to everyone

Politicians and public officials

Antony Blinken

U.S. secretary of state, 2021–2025

2 records

Portrait source: U.S. Department of State, Public domain

Records

If algorithms are built into weapons systems and they malfunction, they could accidentally spark a conflict.

Antony Blinken

U.S. secretary of state, 2021–2025

At a United Nations Security Council meeting, U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken said malfunctioning AI in weapons systems could accidentally spark a conflict.

U.S. Secretary of StateDecember 19, 2024United Nations Security Council

SourceArchived
Context and checks

Surrounding words

With AI, hackers can make cyberattacks more destructive and harder to trace. Repressive regimes are using AI-enabled surveillance to target journalists and political dissidents, destabilizing societies. If algorithms are built into weapons systems and they malfunction, they could accidentally spark a conflict. By setting rules of the road for AI, we can minimize those risks.

What this quote does not say

  • This was a conditional malfunction scenario, not a claim that conflict was inevitable; Blinken immediately said rules could minimize such risks while preserving AI's benefits.

How this was checked

  • Quote located in the captured page; spacing normalised for display.

Reviewed by

an AI reviewer that read the whole source · an automatic character-by-character check

For example, we want to make sure that senior officials oversee the development and deployment of AI, including in weapons systems, and that those tools are used in ways that follow international humanitarian law.

Antony Blinken

U.S. secretary of state, 2021–2025

At a United Nations Security Council meeting, Antony Blinken said senior officials should oversee AI in weapons systems and ensure it is used consistently with international humanitarian law.

U.S. Secretary of StateDecember 19, 2024United Nations Security Council

SourceArchived
Context and checks

Surrounding words

The United States has rallied nearly 60 Governments to commit to guidelines for militaries, too. For example, we want to make sure that senior officials oversee the development and deployment of AI, including in weapons systems, and that those tools are used in ways that follow international humanitarian law. Separately, at a meeting in November, President Biden and President Xi Jinping affirmed that only humans should control the decision to use nuclear weapons.

What this quote does not say

  • Blinken presented this safeguard within a broader statement that emphasized both AI's benefits and its risks; he argued that rules could minimize risks while preserving progress.

How this was checked

  • Quote located in the captured page; spacing normalised for display.

Reviewed by

an AI reviewer that read the whole source · an automatic character-by-character check