Singapore at UN warns AI outpacing safeguards amid global risks

AI capabilities outpace regulatory frameworks

Singapore's Foreign Minister Vivian Balakrishnan warned on Saturday that artificial intelligence is advancing faster than global understanding of its risks, telling the 81st UN General Assembly that international safeguards must urgently keep pace with rapidly evolving capabilities. Addressing delegates in New York, he described AI as "arguably the most urgent frontier," noting that while the technology offers extraordinary potential, it also poses severe risks ranging from autonomous systems escaping human control to the development of biological weapons by rogue actors.

"The genie is already out of the bottle," Balakrishnan said, arguing that halting development is unrealistic amid superpower competition and strong commercial incentives. He emphasized that the international community must instead focus on establishing rigorous guardrails that can manage innovation without attempting to reverse technological progress.

Human control 'must remain paramount'

Comparing AI development to driving a high-performance vehicle, Balakrishnan said innovation provides the "powerful engine" but safe deployment requires "good brakes" — including rigorous testing, clear limits on autonomous systems and robust mechanisms for human intervention. "Most importantly, human beings must ultimately remain in control and accountable," he said, asking whether anyone would want "the nuclear button" in the hands of an algorithm rather than human decision-makers.

Hormuz closure tests maritime legal order

Balakrishnan also warned that the ongoing closure of the Strait of Hormuz amid the Persian Gulf war is putting the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea through a "severe stress test." He said transit passage through international straits remains a right rather than a privilege subject to fees, warning that allowing any state to veto navigational freedoms would carry immediate global consequences for commerce and security.

The strait normally carries around a fifth of global oil supplies, with its disruption driving up energy prices, damaging supply chains and stranding seafarers. The blockade has persisted for more than two months since hostilities began between the US, Israel and Iran, creating sustained pressure on global energy markets.