UN Security Council will hold its first-ever discussion on artificial intelligence (AI) later this month, the UK envoy announced on Monday.  

Permanent Representative to the UN Barbara Woodward, whose country assumed the presidency for the month of July, said the UK is "very excited about the first ever Security Council discussion of AI". 

At a press briefing, she said UK Foreign Secretary James cleverly will chair a meeting of the Security Council on July 18 with briefings from international AI experts and from Secretary-General Antonio Guterres.

Woodward said the UK aims to examine the potential threats posed by AI to international peace and security, as well as its potential benefits and utility. 

Noting that AI is not itself an actor, she said that humans are the ones who can deploy it, direct it, and can see its risk.  

"So that's why we need to have a debate in the Security Council," she said.