AI In Cyber And The UN's Role In Competitive Global Disorder

AI systems have transformed cyber defence by enabling self-protecting, self-healing, and predictive defence systems, but they also transform cyberattacks by opening new attack vectors and supporting advanced cyber offensive capabilities. This article examines how AI is leveraged in cyberattacks and operations, with selected examples of the “big four” states adversarial to the Western alliances—China, Russia, Iran, and North Korea. The use of ever-improving AI-augmented cyberattack capabilities increases the risks of escalation and destabilisation in international peace and security. The UN has addressed several gaps in multilateral governance, while like-minded minilateral coalitions are instrumental for norm-setting and operational guardrails. However, these laudable efforts will have a limited impact as long as the main AI cyber powers are either unwilling or unlikely to allow their AI capabilities to be meaningfully constrained.