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Right to Peace: Generation 3

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The human right to peace stems from the legal obligations of states and organizations to prevent conflict, promote peaceful relations, and ensure that all individuals can enjoy a secure and just international order where human rights are fully realized.

What is the relationship between this fundamental right and Artificial Intelligence? How might AI be used to erode peace, what instruments are used to measure these harms, and which sectors are responsible for ensuring AI does not violate this right? Going beyond harm prevention, how might AI technologies promote and advance the human right to peace?

Sectors #

The editors of the AI & Human Rights Index have identified the following sectors as responsible for both using AI to protect and advance the human right to peace.

• DEF: Defense and Military
• EDU: Education and Research
• GOV: Government and Public Sector
• INTL: International Organizations and Relations
• LAW: Legal and Law Enforcement
• REG: Regulatory and Oversight Bodies
• TECH: Technology and IT

AI’s Potential Violations of the Human Right to Peace #

In this article, we will examine how AI can potentially violate the human right to peace. We’ll give special attention to embedding the ethical commitment of Nonmaleficence—do no harm—into every stage of the AI Lifecycle, from development to deployment and monitoring.

The human right to peace can be significantly jeopardized by certain AI applications if not properly managed and overseen. AI in military applications could exacerbate conflicts and undermine peace efforts. For instance, AI-driven Autonomous Weapons systems could make independent decisions to engage in combat without adequate Human Oversight, increasing the risk of accidental escalations and civilian casualties. AI algorithms used for military strategy and operations might prioritize short-term tactical advantages over long-term peace and stability, leading to actions that escalate conflicts rather than resolve them. Additionally, AI systems used in Intelligence and Surveillance could be misused to conduct invasive monitoring and Profiling, violating Privacy rights and fueling tensions between nations. These potential violations underscore the necessity for stringent ethical guidelines, Transparency, and comprehensive Human Oversight to ensure that AI technologies do not undermine the right to peace.

The human right to peace, as affirmed by the United Nations Charter and various General Assembly resolutions, can be significantly jeopardized by certain AI applications if not properly managed and overseen. AI in military applications, particularly without stringent ethical guidelines and comprehensive Human Oversight, could exacerbate conflicts and undermine global peace efforts. For instance, AI-driven Autonomous Weapons systems—often referred to as lethal Autonomous Weapons—may make independent decisions to engage in combat without meaningful human Control, increasing the risk of accidental escalations and civilian casualties. Such developments contravene the obligations of states to prevent acts of aggression and maintain international peace and Security, as outlined in the UN Charter’s Preamble and Chapter I, Article 1.

AI algorithms used for military strategy and operations might prioritize short-term tactical advantages over long-term peace and stability, leading to actions that escalate conflicts rather than resolve them. This undermines the commitment to peaceful settlement of disputes emphasized in the 1984, 1999, and 2016 declarations of peace. Additionally, AI systems employed in Intelligence and Surveillance could be misused to conduct invasive monitoring and Profiling, violating Privacy rights and fueling tensions between nations, which conflicts with the principles of friendly relations and cooperation among states.

These potential violations underscore the necessity for states and international organizations to implement stringent ethical guidelines, ensure Transparency, and provide comprehensive Human Oversight in the development and deployment of AI technologies. Upholding the sacred right to peace requires that AI does not undermine international stability but instead contributes to the maintenance of peace in accordance with the UN Charter and subsequent declarations. International cooperation and adherence to international law are essential to regulate AI in the defense sector, preventing actions that may lead to breaches of peace and ensuring that AI technologies support global harmony and Security.

It is the collective responsibility of every sector—specifically Defense, Education, Government, International Organizations, Legal and Law Enforcement, Regulatory and Oversight Bodies, and Technology—to ensure that AI is never used to violate the human right to peace.

AI’s Potential Benefits to the Human Right to Peace #

Let’s now examine how AI can potentially benefit and advance the human right to peace. We will give special attention to embedding the ethical commitment of Beneficence—do good—into every stage of the AI Lifecycle, from development to deployment and monitoring.

When effectively developed, implemented, and monitored in accordance with international human rights principles, AI systems can significantly advance the human right to peace by promoting conflict prevention, enhancing peacekeeping efforts, and fostering international cooperation, as envisioned in the United Nations Charter and subsequent declarations. AI can be utilized to analyze large datasets to identify early warning signs of conflict, enabling proactive measures to prevent escalation and maintain peace, aligning with the UN’s purpose to take effective collective measures for the prevention and removal of threats to peace. AI can be utilized to analyze large datasets to identify early warning signs of conflict, enabling proactive measures to prevent escalation and maintain peace, aligning with the UN’s purpose to take effective collective measures for the prevention and removal of threats to peace.

In the defense and military sectors, AI can enhance decision-making by providing accurate and timely information, reducing the risk of misunderstandings and unintended escalations. Thus, AI can support the peaceful settlement of disputes in conformity with the principles of Justice and international law. Peacekeeping organizations can leverage AI to improve mission planning, resource allocation, and coordination, ensuring more effective and efficient peacekeeping operations that uphold the sacred right to peace as proclaimed by the UN.

AI can also support international relations bodies by facilitating dialogue and cooperation through Data-driven insights and analytics, helping to resolve disputes and build Trust among nations, in line with the commitment to develop friendly relations among nations based on respect for the principle of equal rights and Self-determination of peoples. By embedding ethical standards, rigorous validation, and Human Oversight throughout the AI Lifecycle, and by adhering to principles outlined in the Declaration and Programme of Action on a Culture of Peace, these technologies can uphold and advance the human right to peace, ensuring that AI contributes to global stability and harmony.

It is the collective responsibility of every sector—specifically Defense, Education, Government, International Organizations, Legal and Law Enforcement, Regulatory and Oversight Bodies, and Technology—to ensure that AI benefits and advances the human right to peace.

The following instruments further emphasize the urgency of this matter.

Human Rights Instruments #

UN Charter #

U.N. Charter pmbl., 1 U.N.T.S. XVI (1945)

Preamble: “We the Peoples of the United Nations determined

• to save succeeding generations from the scourge of war, which twice in our lifetime has brought untold sorrow to mankind, and
• to reaffirm faith in fundamental human rights, in the Dignity and worth of the human person, in the equal rights of men and women and of nations large and small, and
• to establish conditions under which Justice and respect for the obligations arising from treaties and other sources of international law can be maintained, and
• to promote social progress and better standards of life in larger Freedom…”

U.N. Charter art. 1, ch. I, 1 U.N.T.S. XVI (1945)

“The Purposes of the United Nations are:

1. To maintain international peace and Security, and to that end: to take effective collective measures for the prevention and removal of threats to the peace, and for the suppression of acts of aggression or other breaches of the peace, and to bring about by peaceful means, and in conformity with the principles of Justice and international law, adjustment or settlement of international disputes or situations which might lead to a breach of the peace;
2. To develop friendly relations among nations based on respect for the principle of equal rights and Self-determination of peoples, and to take other appropriate measures to strengthen universal peace;
3. To achieve international co-operation in solving international problems of an economic, social, cultural, or humanitarian character, and in promoting and encouraging respect for human rights and for fundamental freedoms for all without distinction as to race, sex, language, or religion; and
4. To be a centre for harmonizing the actions of nations in the attainment of these common ends.”

Universal Declaration of Human Rights #

G.A. Res. 217 (III) A, Universal Declaration of Human Rights, U.N. Doc. A/RES/217(III) (Dec. 10, 1948).

Article 3: “Everyone has the right to life, liberty and Security of person.”

Article 28: “Everyone is entitled to a social and international order in which the rights and freedoms set forth in this Declaration can be fully realized.”

Declaration on the Right of Peoples to Peace (1984) #

G.A. Res. 39/11, U.N. Doc. A/RES/39/11 (Nov. 12, 1984)

The General Assembly…

1. Solemnly proclaims that the peoples of our planet have a sacred right to peace;
2. Solemnly declares that the preservation of the right of peoples to peace and the promotion of its implementation constitute a fundamental obligation of each State;
3. Emphasizes that ensuring the exercise of the right of peoples to peace demands that the policies of States be directed towards the elimination of the threat of war, particularly nuclear war, the renunciation of the use of force in international relations and the settlement of international disputes by peaceful means on the basis of the Charter of the United Nations;…
4. Urges all States and international organizations to do their utmost to assist in implementing the present Declaration.

Declaration and Programme of Action on a Culture of Peace (1999) #

G.A. Res. 53/243, U.N. Doc. A/RES/53/243 (Sept. 13, 1999)

Declaration on a Culture of Peace:

Article 1: A culture of peace is a set of values, attitudes, traditions and modes of behaviour and ways of life based on:

• (a) Respect for life, ending of violence and promotion and practice of non-violence through education, dialogue and cooperation;
• (b) Full respect for and promotion of all human rights and fundamental freedoms;
• (c) Commitment to peaceful settlement of conflicts;
• (d) Efforts to meet the developmental and environmental needs of present and future generations;
• (e) Respect for and promotion of the right to development;
• (f) Respect for and promotion of equal rights and opportunities for women and men;
• (g) Respect for and promotion of the rights of everyone to Freedom of expression, opinion and information;
• (h) Adherence to the principles of Freedom, Justice, democracy, tolerance, Solidarity, cooperation, pluralism, cultural diversity, dialogue and understanding at all levels of society and among nations;

Article 3: The fuller development of a culture of peace is integrally linked to… promoting international peace and Security in a world where the values of a culture of peace prevail.

Declaration on the Right to Peace (2016) #

G.A. Res. 71/189, U.N. Doc. A/RES/71/189 (Dec. 19, 2016)

“The General Assembly…

1. Reaffirms that everyone has the right to enjoy peace such that all human rights are promoted and protected and development is fully realized;
2. Emphasizes that the preservation of peace and the promotion of a culture of peace and non-violence is a fundamental obligation of all States;
3. Stresses that States should respect, implement and promote Equality and Non-Discrimination, Justice and the rule of law, and guarantee Freedom from fear and want as a means to build peace within and between societies;
4. Urges all States, United Nations agencies, regional and international organizations to take appropriate sustainable measures to implement the present Declaration in order to promote peace.”

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