A new United Nations institute is stepping in to address a critical gap in how the world governs artificial intelligence in military and security contexts. The UN Institute for Disarmament Research (UNIDIR) announced the launch of its Centre of Excellence on AI, Peace and Security, a dedicated platform designed to strengthen global governance of artificial intelligence as it transforms military operations, critical infrastructure, and information environments worldwide.

Why Is AI Governance So Fragmented Right Now?

Governments and institutions around the world are grappling with how to manage AI's risks and opportunities, but their efforts are scattered across disconnected policy domains. AI governance discussions are happening simultaneously in international security forums, human rights bodies, development agencies, and digital governance councils, yet these conversations rarely connect.

This fragmentation creates real problems. Policymakers face mounting pressure to act in areas where technology, policy, and security intersect, often without a fully aligned understanding of the risks. The concern isn't any single AI application, but rather the cumulative impact across multiple domains. AI is now being integrated into military systems, cyber operations, critical infrastructure, and the information environment, which can enhance efficiency but also increase complexity, create new escalation pathways, and heighten the risk of miscalculation in crisis situations.

"The concern is less about any single application, but rather the cumulative impact across multiple domains," explained Dr. Robin Geiss, UNIDIR's Director.

Dr. Robin Geiss, Director at UNIDIR

What Makes This New UN Centre Different From Existing AI Initiatives?

While numerous AI governance initiatives exist globally, relatively few focus specifically on the most consequential and sensitive dimensions: international peace and security. Most existing platforms center on innovation, economic growth, digital governance, human rights, and broader societal impacts. The new UNIDIR centre is designed to close that gap by focusing on the intersection of AI, peace, and security, examining risks and opportunities associated with AI-enabled military capabilities, crisis decision-making, and international stability.

A core objective of the centre is to bridge expertise across communities that rarely engage directly. Many of the most advanced practices on AI governance, such as safety testing, accountability mechanisms, risk management, and responsible use frameworks, are emerging outside the security domain. The centre aims to transfer these insights into security contexts, strengthening understanding and supporting more coherent approaches to AI governance.

"Many existing platforms centre on innovation, economic growth, digital governance, human rights, and broader societal impacts. These are essential conversations, but issues such as military applications, strategic stability, conflict dynamics, and the future of warfare have often been addressed in more specialized and fragmented settings," noted Dr. Giacomo Persi Paoli, UNIDIR's Head of Security and Technology Programme.

Dr. Giacomo Persi Paoli, Head of Security and Technology Programme at UNIDIR

How Will the Centre Support Governments and Stakeholders?

The centre is built around three core pillars designed to translate into practical support for governments and other stakeholders. These include:

• Deepening Analysis: Research on emerging issues such as agentic AI systems that can make autonomous decisions, cross-domain security implications spanning cyber to biosecurity, and risks linked to AI proliferation across borders.
• Strengthening Engagement: Expanded dialogue with industry, recognizing that developers and deployers of AI systems play a critical role in shaping security outcomes and responsible deployment practices.
• Delivering Practical Tools: Production of guidance documents for national AI and defence strategies, and an AI security lexicon to support clearer, shared understanding across diverse communities and policy domains.

The centre's greatest impact will come from its ability to act as a bridge between policy and technology, across security and non-security communities, and from global debates to real-world implementation.

Why Does Trust Matter When Deploying AI at Scale?

Beyond government and military contexts, the challenge of building trustworthy AI systems extends to enterprise adoption. IBM's chief legal officer emphasized that governance and transparency are essential to scaling AI use across organizations. Employees and stakeholders won't use AI systems they don't understand or trust, which directly limits how widely these technologies can be deployed.

"People don't use what they don't trust. So if you don't understand it, if you don't know how it works, if you think it will operate differently than intended, it's not solving your problem, then you're not going to use it," stated Anne Robinson, Senior Vice President and Chief Legal Officer at IBM.

Anne Robinson, Senior Vice President and Chief Legal Officer at IBM

Trustworthy AI requires three key elements: transparency so that systems are explainable, accountability so that responsibility is clear, and control so that users understand what the system will do. Without these foundations, organizations struggle to achieve the scale and adoption necessary to realize AI's benefits.

What Are the Immediate Priorities for Global AI Governance?

The timing of UNIDIR's centre launch is significant. In the coming weeks, Geneva will host two major gatherings, one focused on military applications of AI and another on global AI governance, bringing together member states and a broader community of stakeholders. The centre responds to a clear need for sustained analysis, inclusive dialogue, and practical support at a moment when artificial intelligence is becoming central to international peace and security.

As AI reshapes security dynamics and enterprise operations alike, the need for trusted platforms that enable informed, inclusive, and actionable policymaking will only grow. The challenge now is ensuring that governance frameworks keep pace with technological advancement, and that expertise and best practices are shared across the fragmented landscape of policy domains, military institutions, and private sector developers.