Jakarta. Indonesia has demanded reforms within the UN Security Council in response to artificial intelligence (AI) to keep pace with its rapid developments.

In a recent China-led open debate, Foreign Minister Sugiono fears that the council is not well-equipped to address modern-day challenges. The UN Security Council -- the body that primarily aims to safeguard peace -- came into existence immediately after the catastrophic World War II.

“The world is entering a new era of insecurity. AI, autonomous weapons, and nuclear weapons are reshaping the nature of conflict,” Sugiono told the conference at the body’s headquarters in New York on Tuesday local time.

“A council designed for the realities of 1945 cannot fully respond to today’s challenges without meaningful reform.”

Jakarta called for better transparency and accountability within the 15-strong body. Sugiono urged the council to be “more representative and democratic” as Jakarta seeks greater representation of the “Global South”, the group of developing and emerging economies.

“Indonesia always believes that reform is about restoring trust in the council, not weakening it. And that process must begin with renewed unity within this council,” Sugiono said.

UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, too, is concerned by how “new technologies -- including AI and autonomous weapons -- are advancing faster than our capacity to govern them”, fueling “uncharted risks”. On reforms, Guterres told the forum that “nowhere is this more urgent than in this council”.

AI has gone past the civilian sphere and now has entered the battlefield. The UN Security Council rolled out its maiden resolution on AI in military domain in late 2024, which called on nations to assess their implications. Pope Leo XIV has also been making headlines for urging greater regulation of AI in his first major papal document, highlighting the need to “disarm” the technology.

The UN Security Council has five permanent members and 10 non-permanent members elected for two-year terms. The permanent seats go to China, France, Russia, the UK, and the US, granting them the power to veto a resolution. Indonesia is eyeing to join the council again for the 2029-2030 term.

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