Security Council to Debate AI Risks in November
The council will examine AI and emerging technologies in conflict settings, with a Nov. 24 ministerial debate and a new expert group.
Updated on Nov. 2, 2026 in Artificial Intelligence
The UN Security Council will focus its November agenda on the peace and security implications of artificial intelligence and emerging technologies, under Latvia's first-ever rotating presidency. The council will not establish global AI regulatory frameworks or general governance systems; this is a discussion agenda, not a rulemaking process.
Why it matters
The council's focus signals that AI is being treated as a security question rather than only a commercial or ethics one, with technology sector and AI company representatives set to brief members. Discussions at the Nov. 24 ministerial debate will examine how emerging tools affect civilians, peacekeepers, humanitarian personnel and media workers in conflict zones.
The council's agenda is a scheduled set of sessions, briefings and expert-group meetings rather than a measured technical result. The stated figures are membership counts: 15 council members in total, with 10 joining the Informal Expert Group, and the first session of that group is set for November.
The players
UN Security Council
The UN's primary body for international peace and security, with 15 members, currently under Latvia's first rotating presidency.
Sanita Pavluta-Deslandes
Latvia's Permanent Representative to the United Nations, overseeing the country's first Security Council presidency.
Feridun Sinirlioglu
Turkish ambassador formally nominated by Türkiye as its candidate for UN secretary-general.
The details
The Security Council is the UN body with primary responsibility for international peace and security, and its presidency rotates among members each month. Under Latvia's presidency, the signature event is a high-level ministerial open debate on Nov. 24, where the council will examine how emerging technologies affect conflict and humanitarian protection. Technology sector and AI company representatives will brief council members, and civil society briefers will address sessions on Syria, South Sudan and the Middle East.
Timeline
Nov. 3: International Court of Justice judicial elections take place.
Nov. 17: The Board of Peace report on Resolution 2803 is scheduled for release.
Nov. 24: High-level ministerial open debate on conflict resolution and technology.
Nov. 30: Security Council debate on Palestine.
Jan. 1: The five-year UN secretary-general term begins.
The Tech Race
The Security Council's focus places AI within a multilateral security forum rather than a national regulatory or industry-led race. The newly formed Informal Expert Group, created jointly by Latvia and Greece, is the council's first dedicated body on emerging threats and technological change.
The discussions do not create new rules that affect everyday users of AI tools. Their practical reach is indirect, shaping how the council considers AI's role in protecting civilians, peacekeepers and humanitarian workers in conflict settings.
The takeaway
The council is not establishing AI regulation, so the practical trajectory to watch is whether the Informal Expert Group produces a defined mandate after its first session in November. The Nov. 24 ministerial debate is the next verifiable checkpoint for how the council frames AI in conflict protection.
What happens next
The Board of Peace report on Resolution 2803 is due Nov. 17, the Nov. 24 ministerial debate on technology and conflict follows, and the secretary-general term begins Jan. 1.
Further reading
For more on how governments are approaching AI, see the Artificial Intelligence section.
