The inaugural Global Conference on AI, Security and Ethics 2025 (#AISE25) will provide a unique forum for the diplomatic ecosystem in Geneva and the wider multistakeholder community, including academic experts, civil society organizations, industry representatives and research labs interested in the governance of artificial intelligence (AI) in security and defence.
The rapid advancement of AI has put these technologies at the forefront of global policy discussions. Policymakers and regulators worldwide have begun to recognize the urgency of shared understandings, norms and regulations that transcend national borders and individual interests, including in the context of AI’s applications for security and defence.
The international community has started to undertake several efforts to address the complex implications of AI in security and defence. Most recently, the First Committee approved Draft Resolution A/C.1/79/L.43 which requests, among others, the Secretary-General to seek the views of Member States, observer States, international and regional organizations, the International Committee of the Red Cross, civil society, the scientific community and industry on the opportunities and challenges posed to peace and security by the applications of AI in the military domain.
Against this backdrop, UNIDIR is launching its Global Conference on AI, Security and Ethics, to be held annually as a flagship event that brings together the diplomatic community – as well as experts from the military, industry, academia, civil society organizations and research labs – to jointly consider and address the complex implications of AI for national, regional and global security and resilience.
The conference, open to all, is organized as part of the Roundtable for AI, Security and Ethics (RAISE) – an initiative led by UNIDIR in partnership with Microsoft. By convening experts from diverse backgrounds and across geopolitical divides, RAISE intends to foster inclusive and multisectoral engagement by promoting open dialogue and cooperation.
UNIDIR invited participants to submit poster presentations on AI, security and ethics, which were prominently displayed outside the conference room and sparked meaningful conversations among attendees.
Agenda
Day 1
08:30 – 09:15 Registration
09:15 – 09:30 Opening Remarks
Opening remarks
- Robin Geiss, UNIDIR (Message from António Guterres, Secretary-General, United Nations)
09:30 – 10:15 Opening Panel – UN Leaders
This opening panel will convene UN Leaders for an exchange on AI, peace and security.
- Izumi Nakamitsu, Under Secretary-General and High Representative for Disarmament Affairs, United Nations
- Peggy Hicks, Director of the Thematic Engagement Division, Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights
- Nur Sulyna Abdullah, Special Adviser and Chief SPM Department, International Telecommunications Union
Moderator: Robin Geiss, Director, UNIDIR
10:15 – 11:50 Addressing Destabilization
This segment of the programme will consist of a series of lightning talks and thematic deep-dives on addressing destabilization induced, enabled and/or exacerbated by artificial intelligence.
10:15-10:20 Introduction, Jingjie He, Chinese Academy of Social Sciences (Facilitator)
10:20-10:30 Lightning Talk – The Unseen Militarization of Civilian AI and the Rise of Algorithmic Warfare, Yuyin Liu, Asia-Pacific Artificial Intelligence Association
10:30-11:05 Deep-Dive – Building a Defence AI Strategy: The Dutch Approach, Jeroen van der Vlugt, Netherlands Ministry of Defence
11:05-11:40 Deep-Dive – Circumventing security: Autonomous drones and security in urban environments, Troels Boe, Advisor to the Danish Tech Ambassador in Silicon Valley
11:40-11:50 Lightning Talk – Multi-dimensional security risks and social destabilization concerns of AI, Krishnakumar Gurumurthy, VolvoCars
11:55 – 12:25 Fireside Chat: A Conversation with H.E. Omran Sharaf, Assistant Foreign Minister for Advanced Science and Technology, United Arab Emirates
UNIDIR will host a fireside chat with H.E. Omran Sharaf, Assistant Foreign Minister for Advanced Science and Technology of the UAE, along with moderating a dialogue with the audience.
12:30 – 13:30 Lunch Panel: Global Commission on Responsible AI in the Military Domain
Select members of the Global Commission on Responsible AI in the Military Domain will provide an overview of the Commission’s work, progress, and the way ahead.
- Denise Garcia, Northeastern University
- Pak Shun Ng, Ministry of Defence, Singapore
- Thompson Chengeta, Liverpool John Moores University
- Roy Lindelauf, Netherlands Defense Academy
Moderator: Giacomo Persi Paoli, UNIDIR
13:30 – 15:55 Lifecycle Management
This segment of the programme will consist of a series of thematic deep-dives on the management of AI technologies’ lifecycle in the context of security and defence.
13:30-13:35 Introduction, Alexi Drew, ICRC (Facilitator)
13:35-14:10 Deep-dive – Advantage or Achilles Heel? How technical validation can mitigate the major risks of operating AI in Defence, Ben Fawcett, Advai
14:10-14:45 Deep-dive – AI on the Battlefield: Building Trust and Accountability Through Digital Forensics, Drexx Laggui, Cybercrime Investigation and Coordinating Center, Philippines
14:45-15:20 Deep-Dive – Responsible AI vs AI Assurance: A Semantic Showdown, Jane Pinelis and Kerstin Vignard, Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Lab
15:20-15:55 Deep-Dive – Addressing Safety and Risk in the AI Development Lifecycle, Paree Zarolia, Google
16:00 – 17:50 Data Practices
This segment of the programme will consist of a series of lightning talks and thematic deep-dives on data practices in the context of AI development, deployment and use for security and defence.
16:00-16:05 Introduction, Calum Inverarity, Open Data Institute (Facilitator)
16:05-16:10 Lightning Talk – AI and Human Data in Conflict vs Peacetime, Kazuo Noguchi, Hitachi America Ltd.
16:10-16:40 Deep-Dive – “From Hero to Zero, or Zero to Hero?”: Roles of State and Private Actors in Responsible Data Governance, Isabel Ebert and Tim Engelhardt, OHCHR
16:45-17:15 Deep-Dive – Auditable, Controllable, Transparent, Secure (A.C.T.S.) Now: Why Machine Learning Operations Must Govern AI in Critical Systems and High-Stakes Domains, Simon Polichinel von der Maase, PRIO
17:20-17:50 Deep-Dive – Navigating Military AI: How to Build a Responsible and Ethical Data Ecosystem, Frederick Okello, Balsillie School of International Affairs
17:50 – 18:00 Closing of day 1
18:00 – 19:00 Reception
Day 2
08:30 – 09:15 Registration
09:15 – 09:20 Opening Remarks
- Giacomo Persi Paoli, UNIDIR
09:25 – 10:10 Opening Panel – Tech Leaders
This opening panel will convene Tech Leaders for an exchange on AI, peace and security.
- Michael Karimian, Director, Digital Diplomacy, Microsoft
- David Sully, CEO, Advai
- Jibu Elias, Country Lead for India, Responsible Computing Challenge and Fellow, Mozilla
- Moses B Khanyile, Director, Defence Artificial Intelligence Research Unit (DAIRU), Faculty of Military Science, Stellenbosch University, South Africa
- Arnaud Valli, Head of Public Affairs, Comand AI
Moderator: Gosia Loj, Co-Deputy Head of the Security and Technology Programme, UNIDIR
10:15 – 12:00 The Human Element
This segment of the programme will consist of a panel, lightning talks and thematic deep-dives on clarifying the human element in the context of AI development, deployment and use in security and defence.
10:15-11:10 Panel Discussion
- Paolo Benanti, Pontifical Gregorian University
- Iveren Dusai-Adam, Nigerian Navy
- Vadim Kozyulin, Diplomatic Academy of Russia
- Yasmin Afina, UNIDIR
Moderator: Shimona Mohan, UNIDIR
11:15-11:50 Deep-Dive – On the Purpose of Human Engagement for AI-Enabled Weapons Systems, Jovana Davidovic, PRIO
11:50-12:00 Lightning Talk – Balancing Algorithms and Interpretation: The Role of AI in Vulnerability and Conflict Assessments, Yhasmin Mendes de Moura, FAO
12:00 – 13:00 Lunch Panel: Regional Perspectives on AI, Security and Ethics
Select speakers will exchange on regional perspectives surrounding the development, deployment and use of AI for peace and security.
- Baudouin Ngah Akoh, UNDP
- Bagus Jatmiko, Indonesian Navy
- Naveen Kumar Samuel Kori, Centre for Public Policy and Good Governance
- Francisco Rodriguez, FLACSO Ecuador
- Guangyu Qiao-Franco, Radboud University
Moderator: Sarah Grand-Clément, UNIDIR
13:00 – 15:25 Knowledge and Capacity Building
This segment of the programme will consist of a panel, lightning talks and thematic deep-dives on fostering knowledge and capacity building in the context of AI development, deployment and use in security and defence.
13:00-14:00 Panel Discussion
- Jason Dass, Office of the Attorney General and Ministry of Legal Affairs, Trinidad and Tobago
- Pak Shun Ng, Ministry of Defence, Singapore
- Xiao Qian, Institute for AI International Governance and CISS, Tsinghua University
- Scott Campbell, OHCHR
Moderator: Yasmin Afina, UNIDIR
14:05-14:35 Deep-Dive – Leveraging AI to Support Knowledge Management for Uniformed Military Personnel in UN Peacekeeping Operations, Avishan Bodjnoud, United Nations Peace Operations – Chief Information Management Unit
14:40-14:45 Lightning Talk – Semantic Bridges: Why Ontologies Are Key to Multi-Domain Success, Camille Haaby
14:45-15:15 Deep-Dive – Presenting the Manual on the International Law Applicable to Artificial Intelligence in Warfare, Klaudia Klonowska, Asser Institute
15:15-15:20 Lightning Talk – Lessons from the Nuclear Weapons Age for Managing AI Development, Joon Baek, Columbia University
15:30 – 17:00 Trust-Building
This segment of the programme will consist of a panel discussion on trust-building in the context of AI development, deployment and use in security and defence.
15:30-17:00 Panel Discussion
- Ambassador Robert in den Bosch, Disarmament Ambassador and Permanent Representative to the Conference on Disarmament, Netherlands
- Ambassador Bilal Ahmad, Permanent Representative to the United Nations, Pakistan
- Ambassador SHEN Jian, Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary (Disarmament) and Deputy Permanent Representative, People’s Republic of China
- Ambassador Camille Petit, Permanent Representative to the Conference on Disarmament, France
- Ambassador Song Si-jin, Permanent Representative of the Republic of Korea to the Conference on Disarmament
- Ambassador Leonardo Bencini, Permanent Representative of Italy to the Conference on Disarmament
Moderator: Giacomo Persi Paoli, UNIDIR
17:00 – 17:15 Closing Remarks
- Giacomo Persi Paoli, UNIDIR
When and where
Thursday, 27 March, 9:15–18:00 CET, Room XXVI, Palais des Nations, Geneva, and online.
Friday, 28 March, 9:15–17:30 CET, Room XXVI, Palais des Nations, Geneva, and online.
Further information
For any questions, please contact Yasmin Afina at yasmin.afina@un.org.
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