If used responsibly, Artificial Intelligence (AI) can be an important tool to promote global peace, prevent violent conflict, and safeguard human rights, according to experts on Wednesday.

The potential of AI has majorly been overshadowed by its potential for catastrophic harm from powering drone swarms for international warfare to generating deep fakes that spread misinformation and prejudice.

But, in their recently published book titled AI for Peace, the authors political scientist Branka Panic and Dr. Paige Arthur from New York University argued that AI-driven technology should also be seen as a potential force for good in conflict-torn countries to ‘wage peace’.

“While AI can be a valuable tool to address various challenges of conflict and peace (when used responsibly), achieving peace requires multifaceted approaches,” they said.

“These encompass not only technological innovation but also human peacebuilders who understand peacemaking and conflict resolution practices, how to foster social and economic development, and the practice and politics of coordinating the collective efforts of governments, international organisations, and citizens themselves,” they added.

With the ongoing wars in Ukraine and Gaza and three decades on from the Rwandan genocide, their book AI for Peace highlights concrete ways that AI tools are being used to support peace — not war.

However, Panic and Dr Arthur warned that AI-enabled ‘peace tech’ must be governed by a new set of ethical and legal principles. Ethics must be embedded in every aspect of its use to prevent the weaponisation of data, bias, and other threats.

“By harnessing the capabilities of ethical AI to advance peacebuilding efforts, we can strive towards a future where technology and humanity converge to foster lasting peace,” the authors said.