U.S. Official Warns Against AI Oversight of Nuclear Weapons

A senior U.S. official urged China and Russia on Thursday to make similar declarations to those issued by the United States and other countries that only humans, not artificial intelligence, will make decisions regarding the deployment of nuclear weapons. Paul Dean, an official in charge of arms control at the U.S. State Department, stated during an online press briefing that Washington has made a "clear and strong commitment" that humans have complete control over nuclear weapons, noting that France and the UK have also made such announcements. Dean added, "We would welcome a similar statement from China and the Russian Federation. We believe this is an extremely important standard for responsible behavior and one that would be very welcomed in the context of the five permanent member states," referring to the five permanent members of the United Nations Security Council. Dean's remarks come as the administration of President Joe Biden seeks to deepen separate discussions with China regarding nuclear weapons policy and the growth of artificial intelligence. The Chinese Ministry of Defense has not yet responded to a request for comment.