The Permanent Missions of India and the United Arab Emirates (UAE), in partnership with UNICRI and UNOCT, convened a high-level event at UN Headquarters in New York to explore the integration of artificial intelligence (AI) into counter-terrorism operations.
Opening the event, H.E. Ambassador Mohamed Abushahab of the UAE emphasized “The UAE is investing in AI by strengthening national capability, supporting international cooperation, and addressing global capacity gaps, including through investments in digital infrastructure and skills development across Africa. These efforts reflect our commitment to bridging digital divides and ensuring that all regions benefit from the safe and effective use of AI”, while H.E. Ambassador Harish Parvathaneni of India further highlighted that “As Prime Minister of India, Narendra Modi has said, security cannot be an afterthought in an interconnected world. India will always remain committed to ethical use of AI and supports creation of global standards for ethical AI that respect the diversity of all countries”.
With the impact of AI becoming increasingly evident across a wide range of fields, the event explored how law enforcement and counter-terrorism agencies can build operational capabilities in the fight against terrorism. This focus reflects the growing need for practical, hands-on guidance to complement broader ongoing discussions around AI governance and to support practitioners in addressing the day-to-day challenges that come with innovation in this space.
To this end, the event featured expert overviews showcasing how AI is changing the counter-terrorism landscape and is increasingly being applied in investigative and analytical workflows. A live demonstration of deepfake and synthetic media detection also provided participants with practical insight into the development and deployment of new tools and capabilities. Speakers further highlighted opportunities for Member States seeking to innovate to collaborate with AI laboratories and academic research and development hubs, tapping into existing innovation ecosystems rather than developing extensive in-house AI infrastructure.
Alongside these opportunities, the event examined risks related to the robustness and security of AI systems as they become more embedded in operational environments. Beyond the well-established human rights and ethical considerations, speakers noted the particular impact in the counter-terrorism space of adversarial attacks on AI systems, model interference, and compromised training data, all of which can undermine system reliability.
Speaking to the cybersecurity dimensions, special guest H.E. Dr. Mohamed Al Kuwaiti, Head of the UAE Cyber Security Council, underscored “As emerging technologies such as artificial intelligence and quantum computing accelerate, cybersecurity must evolve at the same pace as a fundamental pillar of modern life. Our priority should be to anticipate, not just react to future threat vectors. Building adaptive, intelligence-driven defenses and fostering international cooperation are essential to protect our digital future and sustain trust in innovation”.
UNICRI and UNOCT also shared insights and good practices on building organizational readiness and operational capacities from two ongoing EU-funded projects: AI-POL and CT TECH+. Through these initiatives, both funded by the European Union and implemented with INTERPOL, UNICRI and UNOCT support a combined total of 13 Member States in strengthening the organizational and technical foundations for the integration of AI in counter-terrorism.
Speaking to these efforts, Acting Under-Secretary-General for UNOCT, Alexandre Zouev, highlighted the UN System’s growing role in supporting Member States as they adopt and operationalize emerging technologies, underlining that “our collective efforts on AI in counter-terrorism must not only keep pace with change, but stay anticipatory, rights-compliant and operationally useful for Member States”. Echoing this, Christophe Monier, the Secretary-General’s Representative on UNICRI’s Board of Trustees, emphasized that “today’s event is about the operational use of AI in counter-terrorism, and I must emphasise that effective operational use is responsible use.”
Discover more in the event video: https://webtv.un.org/en/asset/k1n/k1nxkjv9xa