Guiding AI through APEC and Asean

Humanity’s fate cannot be left to an algorithm.”

With this stark warning, UN Secretary-General António Guterres captured both the promise and the peril of technology at the recent Security Council Open Debate on Artificial Intelligence and International Peace and Security, presided over by President Lee Jae Myung of the Republic of Korea. AI, he said, was already rewriting human existence in real time, transforming how we learn, work, communicate and even what we can trust.

However, in the wrong hands, AI could unleash cyberattacks in minutes, fuel disinformation that corrodes democracy and create autonomous weapons capable of killing without human control. “Technology must be our servant – not our master,” Guterres urged, as he called for universal guardrails, global norms and above all, human dignity at the core of AI governance.

The Philippines echoed this cautionary optimism. As Secretary of Foreign Affairs Ma. Theresa P. Lazaro stressed in her address to the 80th UN General Assembly (UNGA) last month: “Technology is the other defining force of our age: a connector, an enabler, an equalizer. Artificial intelligence offers promise but carries profound risks. We must help build digital societies that bridge development divides rather than widen them, conforming with safeguards against misuse.”

Even as the UN enters its 80th year, the debates at the UNGA once again revealed different visions of how to address today’s complex challenges. Despite diverse voices and competing perspectives under one roof, the UN remains, eight decades on, as relevant as ever.

For Korea, this is not an abstract conviction but a lived reality. President Lee reminded the UNGA of this self-evident truth: “If someone asks what the UN has achieved, I would confidently reply, Look at the 80-year history of the Republic of Korea.” Indubitably, Korea’s resilience and prosperity as a vibrant democracy and advanced economy is inseparable from the UN. And in this proud history, Korea’s relationship with the Philippines, a founding member of the UN, stands out. Seventy-five years ago, more than 7,000 Filipino soldiers of the Philippine Expeditionary Forces to Korea (PEFTOK) fought in defense of our freedom and democracy. That bond of trust and camaraderie, forged in the crucible of war, carried through generations.

It’s the first time that a Korean leader chaired a Security Council meeting as its president, and also the first time that a Security Council Open Debate focused on AI at the leaders’ level. In his statement, President Lee drew on an interesting metaphorical image – originally coined by Professor Geoffrey Hinton – to describe the two sides of AI: a very cute tiger cub. “This tiger cub before us may well grow into a predator that devours us, or it may become a beloved companion like Derpy from KPop Demon Hunters.”

For Korea, this undertaking was not only symbolic but also reflective of its journey: from a nation that once relied on international support to one that is ready to share its perspectives and innovative ideas on other defining agenda of our age.

Korea’s leadership in responsible AI extends beyond the UN. With the Netherlands, it co-leads the Responsible Artificial Intelligence in the Military Domain (REAIM) Initiative, a global platform ensuring that defense applications of AI remain transparent, accountable and firmly under human control. The REAIM Initiative reflects Korea’s belief that innovation and ethics must advance as one, and that even in matters of security, humanity’s fate should never be left to an algorithm.

Korea affirmed this commitment through the passage of the AI Basic Act – set to take effect in January next year – establishing the country as a global pioneer in the development of reliable and forward-looking AI.

On top of these, President Lee has secured a landmark partnership with asset manager BlackRock to help make Korea a regional hub for AI. An MOU with the Ministry of Science and ICT is expected to drive hyperscale AI data centers powered by renewables, underscoring global confidence in Korea’s AI potential and opening new avenues for growth across the Asia-Pacific.

Momentum was also building on the innovation front. Earlier this year, OpenAI announced it would open its first office in Seoul, in recognition of Korea’s “full-stack AI ecosystem” as one of the most promising in the world. With Korea now the second-largest market for paid ChatGPT subscriptions after the United States, global leaders in both finance and technology have been looking to Korea as a strategic hub for the AI era.

This global conversation, launched at the UN, would naturally carry forward to the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) Leaders’ Meeting in Gyeongju at the end of October. There, AI and other emerging technologies are expected to feature prominently. For Korea, it would be an opportunity to present its vision of AI for peace, security and human dignity not only as a security challenge, but also as an engine for sustainable growth.

It would be equally important for the Philippines. The dialogue at APEC would seamlessly carry into 2026, when the Philippines assumes the chairmanship of ASEAN, ensuring continuity in shaping the regional agenda.

Korea and the Philippines, bound by history and trust, would again find themselves at the heart of this dialogue, shaping the future of our region and contributing to a safer, more just and more humane world.

As Winston Churchill once said: “The pessimist sees difficulty in every opportunity. The optimist sees the opportunity in every difficulty.” In many ways, that is the challenge before us: to steer AI into a transformative opportunity, one that, if guided with wisdom, responsibility and cooperation, can define the next chapter of the UN, Korea, the Philippines and our shared global future.

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Lee Sang-hwa is the Ambassador of the Republic of Korea to the Philippines.