In March 2024, the Roundtable for AI, Security and Ethics (RAISE) was launched in Bellagio, Italy. A multi-year collaborative initiative led by UNIDIR and in partnership with Microsoft, RAISE is intended to establish itself as the neutral, trusted and independent platform for inclusive, cross-regional and multisectoral engagement on artificial intelligence (AI) in security and defence.

The inaugural edition of RAISE convened participants primarily hailing from the industry and the research community, with select government representatives in light of the upcoming second edition of the Responsible AI in the Military Domain (REAIM) Summit (Seoul, 9-10 September 2024). Its objectives were two-fold:

  1. Review the current state of applications of AI in security and defence contexts, across sectors and geographies but with a particular focus on the military domain; and
  2. Identify key priority areas in which to develop specific guidance and policy recommendations on identified issues.

This inaugural edition of RAISE focused specifically on the military domain due to the momentum in this particular area. As a result of the convening and UNIDIR’s facilitation of the discussions, participants had identified, by its end, six key priority areas for RAISE to advance in the governance of AI in the military domain: building a knowledge base; trust building; the human element in AI uses; data practices; life cycle management; and destabilization.

This Policy Brief aims to lay the foundation for future work that will bring to life recommendations revolving around the six priority themes that the meeting identified, and which it agreed would serve as a basis for cooperation and collective action that transcends geopolitical rivalry, cross-sectoral divides and competition.