DeepSeek to brief UN Security Council on AI risks

Chinese artificial intelligence startup DeepSeek will be among the companies briefing the United Nations Security Council on the risks posed by AI, Reuters reported on Tuesday, in a rare appearance by a Chinese tech firm at one of the world's most prominent forums for international security.reuters

The 15-member Security Council is set to meet on Wednesday, Sept. 23, to discuss AI and international security, as world leaders gather in New York for the annual UN General Assembly. OpenAI CEO Sam Altman plans to brief the meeting, where diplomats also expect participation from senior representatives of Anthropic. DeepSeek and other Chinese AI firms, including Moonshot, have been invited to make statements, though DeepSeek founder Liang Wenfeng does not plan to attend, according to a source who cautioned that plans remain fluid.cnn+1

AI Slowdown Debate Divides Washington and Beijing

The meeting comes weeks after several AI industry leaders called for a coordinated slowdown in the development of increasingly powerful AI systems, warning that they could soon improve on their own and slip beyond human control. UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres warned world leaders last week that rapidly advancing AI poses risks that cannot be ignored, putting him at odds with President Donald Trump, who has argued existing safeguards are sufficient.straitstimes+1

Chinese state media have dismissed calls for an AI slowdown as stemming from a "Cold War playbook" aimed at preserving Washington's dominance in cutting-edge technology. Unlike leaders of US frontier labs, the heads of China's leading model developers have rarely publicly articulated the possibility that increasingly capable AI systems could deceive humans or evade control.reuters

US-China AI Safety Talks Gain Momentum

The Security Council session arrives amid broader diplomatic activity on AI. Senior US and Chinese officials agreed to hold further talks on AI safety, Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said on Sunday after meeting with Chinese Vice Premier He Lifeng in New York. Bessent said Washington had proposed a notification mechanism for AI incidents serious enough to raise national security concerns.bbc

The Trump administration is also convening a separate high-level event on AI on the sidelines of the General Assembly on Wednesday, according to CNN. Both the Security Council meeting and the US-hosted event serve as a prelude to the scheduled meeting between Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping later this week in Washington, where AI is expected to be a central topic.thehill+1

The Security Council first met on AI risks in 2023, when China warned the technology should not become a "runaway horse" and the US warned against its use to censor or repress people.reuters